


Chasing Thrills

by Acetate (DramaLama), Chrystie, exuberant_imperfection, kate882, luckypen



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Crime, Fluff and Angst, Guns, Knives, M/M, Thief!Kuroko, cop!aomine, cops and robbers, teacher!kuroko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-07 05:58:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 58,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4252026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaLama/pseuds/Acetate, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrystie/pseuds/Chrystie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/exuberant_imperfection/pseuds/exuberant_imperfection, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate882/pseuds/kate882, https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckypen/pseuds/luckypen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The biggest part of the heist is the thrill.<br/>It doesn’t matter what he steals, it doesn’t matter where it’s at. If he doesn’t feel something—some excitement or adrenaline rush or whatever you want to call it—he didn’t do it.<br/>The city is his playground and he won't stop.<br/>Not for anything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chasing the Uncatchable Thief

The biggest part of the heist is the thrill.

It doesn’t matter what he steals, it doesn’t matter where it’s at. If he doesn’t feel something—some excitement, or adrenaline rush, or whatever you want to call it—he didn’t do it.

His first break into the criminal world had been Akashi Corp. He had seen an article about their latest exhibit, boasting it’s top notch security and saying that no one could get in. Kuroko Tetsuya had to test it. He got in easily enough, it was avoiding the cameras and the guards that was the most fun. He didn’t particularly need to steal anything, but where was the proof that he’d done it if he didn’t? So, he made his way straight into the office of Akashi. He picked up the plaque labeling whose office it was, pocketed that, drew a small happy face on one of the sticky notes, and left.

After that, he hadn’t been able to stop. He took bigger and bigger things, to mirror the size of the risks, loving the thrill of not knowing if that night would be the night he was caught.

He scattered the things he took. The first night, he put the plaque in front of the police station.

After that, the things he took were put in random spots. A park bench. A drive-through window. A convenience store shelf.

The papers started calling him things like a ghost or shadow or a phantom because no one ever saw him. Not even on camera. The only indication that someone had been in the buildings were the missing items that he took then threw away and the happy face sticky notes.

But he liked his reputation—a lot. He was the ghost, the shadow, the phantom, never seen and never heard. He could go anywhere at any time, which left him plenty of room to choose his targets. When you’re known for hitting everything, you can do whatever you want—just the way he liked it.

Unfortunately, having a big name, meant people started coming after you. And nothing ruins a day of fun more than a cop crashing the party. There were plenty of people chasing his tail, men and women, cops or just people trying to prove something. There was more to catching “The Phantom” than just putting him away. The one who caught the uncatchable criminal also caught their chance in the limelight. Kuroko understood the desire for chasing thrills.

His next big hit was going to be the police station itself. They’d been making so much noise about him in the news. They seemed more desperate to catch him than some of the people hired to do so for more cash than the police would make in their working lives. It seemed like fun. He’d take their coffee maker or something similar. They’d been raining on his parade, so why not find a way to ruin their day? He’d then dump it in front of the house of the chief of the police force.

* * *

 

It had been months and they still had no lead on this ghost— or phantom or whatever the hell people were calling him this week. The public was starting to doubt the police force’s ability. After all, if they couldn’t catch one guy after months of huge break ins, how were they supposed to catch anyone else? Never mind that they _did_ catch plenty of other criminals in that time frame—that didn’t matter to the media. The only thing that mattered was the one that couldn’t be caught.

The worst part was that they couldn’t even figure out a reason for him to be doing this. Nothing stolen was kept, so it wasn’t about money. They couldn’t think of anything— until one day officer Aomine Daiki had burst out laughing in a meeting about why and said, “You mean you haven’t figured that out yet? He’s doing it for kicks.”

Aomine’s chief smiled at him, “He must have something in common with you then, considering you have the audacity to laugh at the crumbling reputation of this department.”

“I’m not laughing at that. I’m laughing at the fact that I thought you all knew that. Why the hell else would he be doing this if he wasn’t keeping anything? It’s not for the money, and since he won’t show his face it’s not for the fame. That just leaves the thrill. He’s doing it because he can, and he won’t stop until he can’t. And he thinks it’s hilarious that we can’t stop him. That’s probably why he keeps leaving those happy face sticky notes behind. He’s laughing at us.”

“Well, if he is messing with us, where do you suppose he’ll strike next?” The chief responded, the eerie smile never leaving his face.

“No clue. I told you, he does it for kicks. So think like a kid? What’s the ultimate candy store to run rampant in if you’re a criminal?” Aomine grinned, seeing the others slowly catching on. “He’s coming here. I don’t know when, but he will eventually make this place his stomping grounds and we will catch him.”

“I’m so happy that you’ve volunteered to camp out here, Officer Aomine. I assume the “we” in your brilliant plan includes your wonderful partner. I look forward to meeting this ghost in person.” That happy grin had taken on a condescending edge. “As Officer Aomine tests out that theory, are there any other viable suggestions?”

* * *

 

Kuroko Tetsuya stepped into the police station, looking around uncertainly. “Um, is there someone I can speak to about a robbery?” He asked to the room at large, making sure he looked uncomfortable when all eyes turned on him at the sound of his voice, the officers not having noticed him beforehand.

After getting over the initial shock of noticing the shorter man, Aomine managed to recompose himself enough to answer him, “Uhh, yeah how can I help you? You said there was a robbery was it?”

“Um, yes.” Kuroko walked over to the tan officer. “It was actually taken from my boss, but he sent me here since he had a meeting.” He said. “I work at the elementary school down the street, and the principal’s desk was taken. But they left everything that was in or on the desk there on the floor, it’s just the desk that’s gone, and I’m very concerned about the kids if someone is breaking into the school so easily.” Kuroko told him.

Aomine cleared his throat in surprise. “A _desk_ , you said?”

Kuroko nodded. “Yes, a desk. And I’m not really sure how they did that since it’s a rather large desk.” Kuroko said with a small frown.

Aomine tried to hide his surprise. _That damn phantom had_ really _made the whole damn city his playground_. “I’d like to ask you a few questions if you’d please follow me. They’re just questions concerning things such as who discovered the robbery and staff schedules.”

“I don’t really think I will know much about that. Like I said, it was my boss’ desk, so I would assume he found it, but as for schedules...” Kuroko gave a small laugh. “Well, teachers don’t get paid overtime, but they certainly do stay enough that they should. A schedule all just depends on how much they got done during their planning period and how much they’re willing to put off until later. You can leave the same time as the kids one day and stay until six the next.” Kuroko told him.

Aomine paused in thought. That was actually quite convenient, as it gave him an excuse to check the phantom’s latest crime scene under the guise of interviews. Just as he was about to inform the teacher that he would make a personal appearance at the school, a call came in at a desk near him.

“Chief, we’ve got a disassembled desk blocking the entrance to Akashi Corp.— happy face and all. The bastard’s done it again.”

Kuroko let his eyes widen in surprise at that. “Wait... does that mean it was that phantom guy that’s been all over the news? Why would he break into a school?” Kuroko asked, feigning concern.

 _Speak of the devil._ Aomine briefly weighed the value of the drop site and crime scene, opting for the interviews anyway. “All that call said was a desk. If we feel there is something that might endanger the kids, we will be sure to inform you right away. As of yet, there is no definitive knowledge of anything linked to this case, and certainly no danger I can speak of at this moment. I will come down to the school, personally, and conduct interviews to ensure we cover all our bases.” Turning to call over his shoulder, Aomine informed a colleague, “Tell the chief I’m out conducting interviews. I’ll send along the case notes as I go.”

“What do you mean there’s no danger?” Kuroko asked, a bit of anger at the lack of answers seeping into his voice. “ _Someone broke into our school._ There are children there. What if they come back and hurt one of them? They clearly have no problem getting in, so why not? After all, they’re already breaking one law, what’s stopping them from escalating?”

“What you’ve reported is a robbery. No one was hurt and only one thing was taken. In this type of situation, the perpetrator normally either moves on to a new scene and a new thrill or brings the thing that was stolen back. In either case, this a thrill seeker and he bears no danger to the welfare of you or your kids. I promise you, we will come down and investigate, but I believe there is no great danger. Now, I’d like to ask you a few questions about the break in on the way to the school. Did you happen to drive here?” Aomine had dealt with too many panicking victims before. Damage control was practically a reflex at this point.

“No, I took a bus.” Kuroko replied. “I don’t know how much I can answer, but I’ll try my best to do whatever I can to help keep the students safe.”

“Perfect. We can take my cruiser.”

Kuroko nodded and followed the officer out to his car. “So, what would you like to know?” He asked as he slid into the passenger seat.

Aomine started the car and pulled out onto the street. “When did you leave the school last night?”

Kuroko tilted his head up to look at the ceiling of the car as he thought about that for a moment. “Lets see... I had dinner with Kagami-kun around six, I think that was about two hours after I got home... so four. I left around four.” Kuroko decided, looking back at the officer and smiling.

“And do you know who else was still on campus at the time you left?”

“Um... no. The fourth grade teacher usually stays late, so probably her. And the principal is almost always there the latest,” he replied.

“Alright, I’ll need you to point out which teacher you mean. Can you also tell me when you arrived at school this morning and when the principal informed you of the robbery?”

“Riko-san. If I remember her class correctly from when I taught them, I think I stayed after a lot too. I wouldn’t call them bad per say... they just... they have a lot of energy.” Kuroko settled on. “As for this morning, I got there at seven thirty, and he informed me of the robbery just before I came to the station to let me know that he needed me to do that. I’m currently on my lunch break, and his just ended, so I’m guessing he came back and it was gone.”

“You noticed no suspicious characters on campus today?” Aomine finished, pulling into a space in front of the school.

“I work with children, Officer Aomine. Believe me, if I thought that someone was there who shouldn’t be, your station would have gotten a call.” Kuroko replied, stepping out of the car when it had been parked.

“Fair enough,” he said, stepping out of the car. “Can you show me the way to the scene of the crime?”

Kuroko flashed him a bright smile. “Sure. The principal probably isn’t back yet, but you can look around and see if you can find anything. Right this way.” He said, leading the way to the principal's office.

Aomine wasn’t really sure what he was expecting. It was a missing desk. That’s all that was missing. The thief even had the decency to dump everything on and inside the desk onto the floor before taking it. The damn thing hadn’t left any drag marks so the guy had probably disassembled it and heaved it away in pieces. He sighed. If this was really the phantom then there’d be no real evidence anyway. His best bet was probably to question the principal and any teachers who might’ve seen anything. “Can I see this principal?”

“If he’s out of his meeting, sure. I’ll text him to come to his office if he’s done.” Kuroko said, pulling out his phone.

He was interrupted from texting by a group of passing kids noticing the police man in the office, and then noticing their teacher.

One of them ran out of line to go and hug Kuroko, wrapping her arms around his legs since she barely reached his knees. “Kuroko-sensei, Kuroko-sensei! Why is there a police man? Are you in trouble? I don’t want you to leave!” She said loudly. And of course, once she mentioned that Kuroko might be in trouble and leaving all the other kids ran over and tried to hug him, making their own exclamations about how they didn’t want him to leave.

One walked up to Aomine, and tugged at his pants leg to get his attention. “Why are you taking our teacher away? Kuroko-sensei is a good person.” He said, looking tearily at Aomine.

Aomine was never really good with kids. One looking up at him in tears was not something he’d ever been trained to deal with. So, like the professional he was, he stood stalk still, frozen for fear of making him cry more. “Uhh…..”

When the officer didn’t say that he wasn’t taking their teacher away a few more kids burst into tears, and quite frankly this was Aomine’s nightmare. He could deal with criminals, but crying children...well that was something else entirely.

“He’s not taking me away, guys.” Kuroko said, kneeling down to be at eye level with them. “This nice man here is just making sure that everything is safe for you, and I was showing him around. I’ll be back in the classroom in no time, but for now please listen to Izuki-senpai, okay?” He smiled at them and they all started to calm down.

As soon as Kuroko gave an indication that they could leave, he tried to walk away as fast as possible. It had to be _kids_ that he was dealing with.

“Aomine-san, the principal should be here soon.” Kuroko didn’t even look away from the kids to say that to him when he noticed the officer trying to sneak off.

“Uhh, yeah. Right. We’re meeting here? I thought we were going to meet him somewhere else.”

Kuroko shook his head, standing back up. “Nope. He’s coming here.” He turned his attention back to the children. “Now, don’t keep Izuki-sensei waiting in the hall. Go back to class.” He ordered, and amazingly enough they all listened.

Aomine whispered a small “thank you” at the sight of the kids leaving. He’d never understand how teachers did their jobs. “Once the principal is here, you’re free to leave. Also could you send over that teacher you mentioned earlier? Riko-sensei, was it?”

“Yes, of course.” Kuroko said with a smile, just as Hyuuga arrived. “If you need anything else from me, I’m Kuroko Tetsuya.” He told the police officer. He waved at Hyuuga before walking out of the office.

The principal looked angry enough to kill. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

 

He’d moved the desk during the principal’s lunch break, but it was also recess for his kids, which made it easy enough to slip away unnoticed. He used that to get inside the police station, and now he knew the layout.

After that he continued as normal, stealing and returning for the next few weeks before suddenly— he stopped. Not the stealing, but he was keeping the objects. He continued to leave those damn happy faces though, just to let them know it was still him.

* * *

 

Aomine was up to his neck in missing items reports. The thief had suddenly stopped returning his stolen goods a few months ago. _What was this guy thinking? Did he finally get bored of his regular game? Was he trying to mess with them? What was his aim?_

“Dai-chan, we have _another_ missing item reported.” Momoi sighed after hanging up her phone. “It’s from the hospital. One of their stretchers is missing. Midorin is upset.”

“Tell the frog I’m working on it.” He groaned. He was getting tired of this. They still couldn’t find any trace of the robber.

“I did. He told me to tell you that you couldn’t catch the original, so he hopes that you have better luck with the copy cat.” She rolled her eyes. “You don’t really believe that there’s another person doing this, do you?”

“Nah, no one else would steal useless crap like that. It’s still the same guy. I’m not sure what he’s planning though, _if_ he’s planning anything at all. He’s still probably just messing with us.”

“But why change his game? What’s the point? He was messing with us just fine before, since we were still at a loss on how to catch him.” She pointed out.

“He got bored? I don’t know. If I could get into this guy’s head we wouldn’t be having this problem right now.” The case was really starting to get on his nerves.

“You seem to be getting into his head better than anyone else. You were the first to figure out that he was doing it just for fun.” Momoi told him.

Before he could answer though, the phones in the office started ringing. Almost all of them, one after another, with missing items being reported found all over the city.

“What the hell is he doing?” Momoi muttered as she got up to go to her and Aomine’s shared car. “Come on Dai-chan. We’ve got a long night ahead of us.”

* * *

 

Kuroko watched from the shadows as officers left the station. As more calls came in fewer left in pairs, opting to split up to cover more ground. He waited until there were only two left, and made his move. With a few more strokes of his keyboard he had the cameras under his control. They wouldn’t see him.

He went in through the back, careful not to trip any alarms, and stayed out of sight of the two remaining officers. Probably new to the job if they were left behind to play guard dogs. They were so busy gossipping together about what was happening that he probably could have walked right through the front door without them noticing him.

He made his way to the heart of the station, quietly opened up his paint can and put his signature happy face on the wall, grabbed the coffee maker, and left with his prize, grinning to himself as he walked down the street to where his car was parked. Once he put down the coffee maker and paint supplies he got out his computer and turned off the loop feed that he’d been transmitting to the cameras, letting them run like nothing had happened.

* * *

 

The night had been hellish and Aomine had gotten no sleep at all. He’d spent the night driving all over the city retrieving all the stolen items for evidence. As he drove to the station after retrieving the damned doctor goblin’s stretcher from in front of the Tokyo tower, he was desperately in need of some morning coffee.

Everyone at the station was freaking out more than he would have imagined, considering the tiring night. That was until he noticed the large white smiley face painted on the wall, and the coffee maker missing from its designated spot. “Son of a _bitch_!” He was all but ready to kill this guy, taking the coffee maker was just being an asshole.

“Well Dai-chan, it looks like you were right about him coming here eventually.” Momoi said. “I just really wish he had taken something besides the coffee after keeping us out all night. I’m going on a Starbucks run—I think we’re gonna be here for a while.”

* * *

 

The police chief wasn’t supposed to be home, so it should have been safe to drop the coffee maker there.

Which is what he’d been doing when he heard a car pull up just as he set down the coffee machine. He glanced over his shoulder, and as soon as he saw the police cruiser he took off running.

Aomine had gone to his chief’s house to drop off some paper work that he’d finished filling out. He hadn’t expected to be chasing the damned thief he’d been searching for the past few months. The asshole had unfortunately picked the wrong time to drop off the coffee machine. There was no way in hell this guy was getting away.

Kuroko weaved between houses until he made it out of the neighborhood and onto the streets. He pulled his hood up to hide his face, running between buildings and into crowded streets to try and lose the police officer chasing him.

The thief was surprisingly hard to keep track of, it was almost as if he was disappearing and reappearing. He chased him into an alleyway with a dead end.

Kuroko looked around for a means of escape, but his mistake became apparent very quickly when he saw a wall on one side and a police officer —the same one he’d talked to before— on the other. He doubted it would work, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going down without a fight, so he tried to make a break for it by running past the officer.

Aomine cornered the thief before he could swivel past him and trapped him against the wall. Finally getting a good look at his face, he recognized him as the kindergarten teacher he’d met all those months ago about the missing desk. Well _damn_.

“Aomine-san. It’s nice to meet you again.” Kuroko forced a smile despite the position he was in—pinned against a wall by a police officer, in a very incriminating situation.


	2. A Deal with the Devil

“Ha. Ha. Nice to meet you too, _Kuroko-san_. Or is it The Phantom?” Aomine sneered, favoring his irritation over disbelief.

Kuroko smiled pleasantly at him. “I’m surprised you remembered me. Most people don’t. Would it be too much to ask that you let go of me so that I may leave?” Kuroko replied.

“And why the fuck would I do that? Especially after all the stress you put me through in the last few months. You and me are gonna be spending some quality time together in questioning.”

“If I’ve bothered you so much I’m astonished that you would want to spend any more time with me.” Kuroko didn’t seem nearly as concerned as someone being taken in by the police should be.

Aomine was really tempted to knock this guy’s teeth out; he’d had too little sleep for this shit, and the little bastard was making life unreasonably more difficult. “How about we take a quick little ride down to the station and you return that coffee maker you took. I’ll even give you some nice little bracelets for all the trouble you’ve given me.” Aomine kept one hand in place, never letting his hold on Kuroko loosen, and reached around with his other hand to grab his handcuffs. He held them up, grinning predatorily.

Kuroko frowned at him as his rights were read to him, concentrating more on a way out of this than on what was being said since he already knew his rights.  

Aomine pushed Kuroko back into the direction of his cruiser. He couldn’t wait to put this guy away and be done with him. He’d never have to deal with the guy again.

Kuroko went into the police cruiser willingly enough. He knew he wasn’t going to win if it was a contest of strength, and he’d just make himself look worse if he ran again. “So, Aomine-san, why _did_ you remember me? I’m sure you’ve had plenty of people come in to report robberies, and most of those people don’t have to speak to get your attention first,” Kuroko asked, tilting his head to look at Aomine through the rearview mirror curiously. After all, a low presence was one of his best traits as a criminal. He wanted to know how he had messed up.

“You're insulting a police officer. You’re really not making a good case for yourself,” Aomine responded gruffly. No way in hell was he admitting that the phantom that had been giving him hell was also way too cute for his own good, and that that was why he remembered him. “Also, desk robberies aren’t exactly the common case. That’s something people tend to remember.”

“Neither are any of the other things stolen by the phantom,” Kuroko pointed out. “And there was no intended insult. It’s quite common for people to not notice me. That’s why I wondered why you did. That’s all. I meant no disrespect.”

“So you talk about yourself in third person? Nice try, buddy. Not buying it.” Aomine called him on his bullshit. He knew it in his bones that this was the guy, and he trusted his instincts. “I bet you love going unnoticed. Thieves don’t exactly like getting caught.” Aomine paused, then, as if it was an afterthought, added, “Sorry to rain on your parade.”

“It’s lucky it’s not my parade you’re raining on, because I wouldn’t believe your apology if it were,” Kuroko replied. “I’m sorry, but I think I’m done talking now until I have a lawyer present.” He added, smiling at Aomine in the rear view mirror, before shutting his mouth.

He guessed he should consider himself lucky. He didn’t really want to listen to the guy talk anyway. It was unfortunate he didn’t say much that could be used against him, but he was sure this guy didn’t have much to defend himself anyway.

Kuroko stayed silent for the rest of the ride, and calmly walked into the police station with Aomine, spotting a red head leaning against the officer’s desk.

“Ah, Daiki, there you are. I brought a present for you. Why are you holding a coffee maker though, and who’s your new friend?” Red eyes looked Kuroko up and down, lingering on the cuffs, before turning to Aomine. Kuroko could easily recognize him. Akashi Seijuro, son of the man he had robbed in his first hit.

“I hope it’s something good.” Aomine shoved Kuroko forward a bit more and then held his hand out in presentation. “Ta da. Mr. Phantom himself. Looks like he’s not so uncatchable after all. I just got this thing,” Aomine nodded his head toward the machine in one arm, “back from him.”

“I do not like being presented like your trophy, Aomine-san,” Kuroko complained when he was pushed forward, just barely keeping from stumbling.

Akashi raised his eyebrows, looking slightly more impressed than he was before. “You robbed my father’s building. Thank you for that. You should have seen the look on his face.” When Kuroko didn’t say anything in reply Akashi smiled. “Ah, but you can’t say anything about it, right? I’ll just leave this here for you then, Daiki. I’ve got to get back to work. It was nice seeing you again. And nice meeting you, Phantom-san.” He dropped a file on Aomine’s desk and then walked out.

He would worry about Akashi’s “present” later. Right now his sole focus was putting the phantom away. “Hey Chief!” he called out to the room at large, “I’m about to make your day.” He dragged the man behind him as he approached Imayoshi. "You said you were looking forward to meeting our Ghost. Well, here he is,” Aomine announced proudly, shoving Kuroko in front of him.

Kuroko rolled his eyes at being put on display again. “I just said that I don’t want to be your trophy. Prove your manliness some other way,” he muttered.

Imayoshi looked decently surprised, despite that unwavering smile, “Well well, you really can do your job, I’m impressed someone at your level managed to capture him. I see you also found the coffee machine. Good, I think many of us could really use it right now.” There was a small hint of annoyance in his voice.

Aomine looked at Imayoshi, fake hurt in his voice, “Thou hath no faith. I’m wounded.”

“As well he shouldn’t. You found me because you were putting something in his mail box. I’m assuming late paperwork that you wanted him to think was lost in the mail. There was no detective work on your part. Just good timing,” Kuroko told him.

Aomine glared at the bastard, but only managed to give the back of his head a look as he had turned back around to face the chief. “I wish I could give you jail time just for that mouth of yours.”

“I’m sure you do, considering the only proof you have is that you saw me putting down a coffee maker. I bet you would like them to not hear that either. I thought it would make a nice gift since you guys found my boss’ desk,” Kuroko replied, keeping his eyes on the chief, because he knew he wasn’t convincing Aomine that he should be let go.

Imayoshi had to admit, he liked this guy, regardless of whether or not he was the phantom. He was amusing. However, they needed more evidence that this was the phantom. “Well, there is a way to make sure. Our coffee maker was a gift from my friend Hanamiya. Before he gave it to us, he dented it in the corner pretty badly when he missed my head and threw it at the wall. Wanna check if that’s there Aomine?”

Kuroko carefully kept his reaction off of his face. He was not going to incriminate himself based on reacting to a coffee maker's dent. Although, he had wondered about that when he’d picked the thing up.

The dent was actually very sizable and only took Aomine shifting the machine in his arm a bit before they could clearly see it. Hanamiya has a good arm. “Well, would ya look at that? Now, just how do you think that got there, _Kuroko-san_?”

Kuroko looked at it impassively. “Not sure. I can be a bit clumsy. Perhaps I dropped it.”

Imayoshi was impressed despite himself. The Phantom knew how to keep his cool. “I mean, we can also have it checked for fingerprints. I’m sure the Phantom would be too preoccupied to clean those off, no?” If possible, Imayoshi’s grin became even more unsettling.

Kuroko knew he hadn’t cleaned it, because he hadn’t gotten his own prints on it, and he hadn’t thought that Aomine would show up. He kept from saying anything, because he knew he was just digging himself a deeper grave. He just shrugged his shoulders in response, refusing to let the smile unnerve him like he was sure it was meant to.

“I’ll drop this off with the lab right away, Chief.” Aomine shot Kuroko a smug smile. “No snappy comeback? Where’s that mouth of yours now?”

“Some of us know when to keep it closed.”

* * *

 

“You’re a scary guy, Chief.” Kuroko was currently in a holding cell, and Imayoshi and Aomine had moved into the chief’s office. “The whole fingerprinting thing was a nice act, but you and I both know any lawyer worth his salt will be able to get this guy off scot-free.” Aomine ran a hand through his hair frustratedly. They were so close to putting the thief away, yet their hands were tied.

“I suppose, but putting him behind bars isn’t the only thing I have in mind for him. I’m thinking he can help with the undercover case— with supervision of course.”

“I feel sorry for the unlucky bastard that has to spend time with that asshole.”

“Well quit your pity party, because that unlucky bastard is you.”

Aomine’s eyes widened in disbelief, _“What!?_ No way in hell am I working with that asshole.”

Imayoshi grinned that same unsettling grin from before. “Oh, really? I don’t recall whatever promotion you feel gave you the right to refuse a direct order.”

Aomine winced. Imayoshi was their superior for a reason. He knew how to get things done. “Alright, alright. Yeesh. But I don’t see this guy agreeing easily.”

“Well now, what happened to that confidence you had a few months ago? You said you knew exactly how this guy thought. He’s doing this for _kicks_. Convince him that this will be fun.”

“And how exactly do I do that?”

Imayoshi gave a genuine grin at this. “You’re the Phantom expert. I leave that part to you”

* * *

 

Aomine was still complaining as he walked to the holding cells to retrieve the thief.

And what he found there only gave him more reason to complain.

* * *

 

Kuroko wasn’t a fan of being in a holding cell with a bunch of other criminals waiting to find out what would happen to them. He certainly didn’t like it when one of them decided that because he was small they were going to try and push him around.

“Hey, shorty, you’re in my seat,” a man who looked like all brawn and no brains told him.

Kuroko arched an eyebrow. “Well, you see, there are several names carved into this seat, so while usually I would say that your name isn’t on it, I’m sure it is. The problem is, with so many others, your name really doesn’t matter, much like you, so you can find yourself somewhere else to sit, because I have had a long night.” After all, running all over the city to separate items enough for the police to be busy took a lot of energy.

“I said _move_.” And since he was dealing with criminals instead of normal human beings, his second refusal was met with a punch to the jaw. Kuroko could taste a bit of blood in his mouth, but was expecting the next punch. So he moved just in time for the fist to collide with someone behind him. When that guy turned around to confront whoever had just hit him, Kuroko used the distraction to slip away.

He watched from the corner as an all out brawl between pretty much everyone in the cell started, absentmindedly touching his jaw and lips to assess the damage. Other than a busted lip, it seemed like he was fine.

That was when he noticed Aomine. He grinned cheerfully, which was a bit painful with the damage to his lower lip, and waved. “Aomine-san! Did you miss me already?” he called.

Aomine watched the fight for a bit before gritting his teeth and preparing himself to charge in, fist swinging. Of course the universe decided that Aomine would not only be stuck with babysitting a snarky bastard, but also have to break up an all-out brawl, which Aomine assumed had been started by the small pale figure enjoying the show.

As soon as the door opened, Aomine was swinging left and right, dodging one punch here and a potentially brutal kick there. This was a no-holds barred fight.

Kuroko was slightly impressed at the detective’s fighting prowess. He managed to break up a fight between about a dozen full-grown (and some much bigger than should be possible) men without receiving much more than a glancing blow. It seemed his “manliness” wasn’t all talk after all.

Just as Kuroko completed that thought, Aomine turned to Kuroko, several wary glances directed at his back. “Come with me, troublemaker. And I swear, if you open that no-good mouth of yours, I will drag you back unconscious. Just try and test me. I dare you.”

Kuroko just flashed him a bright smile, with enough of a condescending edge to let Aomine know he didn’t really believe him, before waving at the others in the holding cell and walking out with Aomine.

Aomine resisted the urge to strangle the man and re-cuffed him (partly to wipe that smile off his face) before marching him back to Imayoshi. _Someone put me out of my misery._

* * *

 

“You want me to do _what?”_ Kuroko asked, looking between Imayoshi and Aomine as if he thought they were both idiots. And at the moment, he sort of did.

“We want you to help us with an undercover case. I’m sure you could do it. It’ll be fun.” Imayoshi’s smile was nothing but aggravating.

“You and I have very different definitions of fun,” Kuroko deadpanned, folding his arms over his chest. “Being under police watch all the time does not sound like fun, and you only want me to do it because you know you can’t convict me, and it’s the only way you can keep an eye on me.”

“You haven’t even heard the full offer yet. You’ve made this entire city your stomping ground, but spent the past few months in preparation for one place. Here.” Aomine paused to let his words sink in. “Now, what target could possibly surpass a police station? You’ll eventually run out of playground. But we’re offering you something new—a challenge. Isn’t that how you never lose interest: changing it up? We’re making your life a bit more interesting, Mr. Phantom. Feel free to thank us.”

Kuroko narrowed his eyes at Aomine as he considered it. “And _you_ would be my partner?” he asked with a laugh. “You hate me. You don’t want to work with me.”

“You’re damn right I don’t,” Aomine muttered under his breath, but Imayoshi spoke over him. “That’s an added treat for you.” That terrifying grin returned, though it was far scarier for Aomine right now. “You will work for us, but feel free to antagonize my dear detective however you please—provided it is legal, of course. We’ll simply call it a bit of give-and-take.”

The grin forming on Kuroko’s face closely resembled Imayoshi’s as he looked at Aomine.

“Oi! You never mentioned that earlier!”  Aomine protested. He was seriously considering just walking out at this point, consequences be damned.

Imayoshi only seemed pleased by this outrage. “As you can see, I’ve included his reaction to that little clause as a bit of a bonus for you—a sample of days to come. If nothing else, you will be well entertained.”

Honestly, Kuroko had been convinced after hearing Aomine’s pitch, but Imayoshi’s made it all the better. “I’d like to see a contract in writing,” he said, after a moment of pause to make it seem like he was still unsure.

“Your other partner will have that for you. He should be arriving any moment now.” Imayoshi said.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, because right after he said that, Akashi Seijurou walked through the doors.

“Phantom-san, I didn’t think I would be seeing you again so soon.”


	3. No Fury Like a Detective’s Scorn

Kuroko looked at the other in surprise. “Akashi-san?” And then he turned back to Imayoshi. “What do you mean my other partner? Doesn’t he work for Akashi Corp.?”

“Yes. However, he also has been working undercover as a mob boss for us.” Imayoshi waved Akashi inside.

Akashi stepped in, closing the doors behind him, and placed the contract on the desk. “And if I read your email correctly, my main job is to spread the word, correct? I’m not to interact very much,” he replied.

“Yes. I trust you to explain to our lovely phantom what’s going to be happening. I don’t expect Aomine here to be able to articulate his words quite as well.” Imayoshi ignored Aomine’s annoyed growl and shooed them out of his office.

Kuroko picked up the contract, eyes scanning it, as they walked over to Aomine’s desk.

“So, the basics of the plan is that I spread the word that the Phantom is up for hire now,” Akashi started, effectively gaining Kuroko’s attention. “Criminals gossip worse than highschoolers. But if you want them to trust your word, it has to come from another criminal. Which is where I come in. You two will be playing partners.” Akashi looked between Aomine and Kuroko. “Daiki is the face of the operation. After all, the Phantom’s whole thing is not being seen. People will seek out Daiki, who will, of course, be using a different name so that he is not connected to the police, and give him contracts. Phantom-san, you will be doing these jobs.”

Kuroko frowned. “I thought the point was to bring people in. Why am I doing the jobs?”

Akashi smiled pleasantly at him, and it reminded Kuroko of the same smile he used to talk to his students. “Well, if we just started arresting people immediately they would know what was happening. The way to get things done is to keep records. Eventually you can use them, and every now and then, land some big criminals, just not so much that people start to notice that they were dealing with you right before,” Akashi explained. “It should take about a week to set up your new identities and find you both an apartment to share, because we can’t have you by yourself, Phantom-san, or else you might decide to go back to your job without police supervision.” Akashi turned his attention to Aomine. “I expect you’ll be the one volunteering to watch him until then, correct? After all, the two of you are going to have to get used to living with each other anyway. You could call it practice.”

“Not like I have a choice. If I didn’t, Imayoshi would do that thing where he just smiles at you without a single word until you feel like you’re melting under his squinty eyes.” Aomine groaned out. “He’s gonna be living at my house until the mission starts, unfortunately.”

“Do I get a say? Because I would prefer to stay with a different officer. One who I don’t think would very much like to kill me in my sleep,” Kuroko commented blandly.

“If I don’t get a say in it why would you?”

“Because I don’t carry a gun. I feel endangered. You shouldn’t be in charge of me and carry a weapon when you hate me.” Kuroko pouted up at him, giving him his best innocent look, which was slightly damaged by the busted lip. To make up for it, he batted his eyelashes a few times.

Aomine could feel his right eye slightly twitching. The damned man was adorable, but he was also annoying as fuck. It didn’t help that he got a sense of smug satisfaction from Akashi at the whole situation. "Criminals don’t get guns. Police officers do. Deal with it,” he said, looking away from the big blue eyes looking sadly at him.

“It’s still not fair,” Kuroko lamented. “I’m not even a dangerous criminal. No one’s gotten hurt by me once.”

“Maybe, since you’ll be working with dangerous criminals, we can work things out so that you can at least get a taser or stun gun,” Akashi interjected, grinning at Aomine’s betrayed look.

“Whose side are you fucking on?!” Aomine glared at Akashi.

“Whichever side causes me the most entertainment. At the moment, that would be Phantom-san’s. Sorry, Daiki.” His smile didn’t look apologetic at all.

“I like him.” Kuroko stage whispered to Aomine. “He’s nicer to me than you are. Can I stay with him instead?”

“Can he?” Aomine looked at Akashi hopefully.

“As much as I would love to take him in, I live with a lot of criminals. I have my hands full most of the time, which is why my reports are only semi-regular at best. Besides, people would be suspicious if I showed up with a new person. I’m afraid, he’ll have to stay with you, Daiki.”

“That’s what I thought you would say. Looks like we’re stuck together; this’ll be a fun experience, right Tetsu?”

Kuroko frowned up at him. “Tetsuya,” he corrected. He’d thought that Aomine would remember his first name as well since he’d known his last, but it appeared that wasn’t the case. The disrespect aside, he could at least rectify the mistake.

“Yeah, Tetsu.” Aomine was glad that he had some way to irritate the shorter man. At least now the annoyance wouldn’t be one-sided.

“Aomine-kun is a rude person,” Kuroko commented, changing the honorifics slightly in retaliation.

“What happened to ‘-san’? Y’know Tetsu, I didn’t take you to be so informal.” Aomine was only slightly disturbed by the “-kun”—at least, that’s what he told himself.

Kuroko shot him an irritated look. “At least I’m not rude enough to call you Daiki after three meetings. Or Dai-chan, since you aren’t even using my full first name,” he shot back. “And people think that criminals are the rude ones.”

“The name’s cute. I think it matches someone as small as you.” Aomine smirked.

“That’s a rather low blow, Daiki,” Akashi commented from the side lines.

“How unprofessional of you to be flirting with your partner, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko remarked, ignoring Akashi. It wasn’t like the redhead was much taller than himself.

“Wha- _flirting?!”_ Aomine spluttered. So much for keeping his cool. He was not going to survive working with this asshole.  

Kuroko smiled up at him. “No need to be so shy about it, Aomine-kun. I know I’m hard to resist, but it would be very unprofessional, and you’re just not my type.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it. Phantom-san, be sure to get your picture taken for the ID.” Akashi waved at them. He stopped at Momoi’s desk on his way out. “I give them a week before they hook up. Fifty dollars.”

“Two weeks. He just shot down Dai-chan’s flirting with a ‘you’re not my type’. Dai-chan’s gotta get him to come around. You’re on,” she replied.

* * *

 

Aomine drove Kuroko back to his apartment first so that he could pack a few things before they started living together. The man’s apartment was pretty decent for a kindergarten teacher’s salary, Aomine admitted. He watched as Kuroko slowly packed a few of his things in a suitcase.

Kuroko offered to Aomine, “Feel free to get something to eat in the kitchen if you want. I won’t be able to use anything there anymore,” he said, digging through his closet for shirts that he liked.

Aomine took his offer and headed straight for the fridge, hoping to find something to eat. He had skipped lunch to deal with Kuroko’s arrangement into the mission and it was nearing dinnertime. He was starving. He put together a messy sandwich with as much food as he could find in Kuroko’s fridge. Kuroko wasn’t going to eat it anyway.

Kuroko moved over to his dresser to find some pants and a few other shirts that weren’t nice enough to need to be hung. He was rather exhausted. It had been nearly twenty four hours since he’d slept because of scattering all of those objects and the break in and working in the station. He reasoned that it would be okay to lean his head against the dresser and rest his eyes for just a moment. Before he knew it, he was already drifting to sleep.

Aomine returned to the room—face full of sandwich—to check on Kuroko and his progress. He hadn’t expected to find the man sleeping with his head against the dresser, his mouth slightly open. It was pretty cute… for a criminal, he mentally added as an after thought. He almost didn’t want to wake him up—he was a lot cuter when he wasn't talking—but they had to get going. It was getting pretty late and he was pretty exhausted himself. He gently shook the man’s shoulder, whispering a soft, “Wake up, Tetsu, we have to get going.”

Kuroko’s eyes slowly fluttered open to look sleepily up at Aomine. “Hmm? I wasn’t sleeping,” he muttered.

“Sure you weren’t. Hurry up. I wanna leave before the sun fully sets.” He took another large bite of his sandwich.

Kuroko nodded, still too sleepy to come up with an insult about the amount of food in the sandwich or about Aomine having a curfew, and he slowly got back to packing his things.

Once Kuroko was done with packing, and Aomine was done raiding the rest of Kuroko’s fridge, they got back to Aomine’s cruiser and headed for Aomine’s apartment.

Kuroko managed to stay awake for the ride to Aomine’s apartment, and got out of the car when they reached it. “Where am I staying?” he asked, looking around the apartment. It was bigger than his own, but it was also a bit of a mess. He would fix that later.

“On an extra futon in my room. I need to keep my eye on you.” Aomine rummaged through his storage closet for the spare futon he kept for when Satsuki slept over. Once he found it, he moved to his room and put it out on the floor next to his bed. 

Kuroko mock pouted at him. “And here I was sure you were going to try to get me in your bed after all that flirting and calling me cute at the station.”

“In your dreams. Now go take a shower. You smell.”

“Where is your bathroom?” Kuroko asked, opening his suitcase to get out some clothes.

“Connected to the bedroom; it’s the second door.” Aomine pointed out.

Kuroko nodded, and while Aomine was pointing out the bathroom, stole one of his shirts. He was still a thief after all, and he was quickly finding he loved messing with Aomine.

He came out of the shower a little while later, in Aomine’s t-shirt, and a pair of his own pajama pants, using a towel to dry his hair. He went to the kitchen to get a drink of water and said hello when he saw Aomine there.

Aomine stopped rummaging through his fridge for some beer to gawk at Kuroko. Was that _his_ shirt? “Oi, you little thief. When the hell did you nab a shirt?! Look who’s flirting now. I don’t recall giving you my clothes."

Kuroko looked unaffected as he dug through Aomine’s cabinets for a cup. “That’s because you didn’t give me your clothes,” Kuroko replied. He finally found a glass and walked over to the sink, filling it with cold water, before turning back to Aomine and taking a sip.

“Why are you _wearing_ my shirt? Was there even a point to going back to your house?” Inwardly Aomine was trying to ignore how great the look was—combined with the flush of just exiting the shower, the loose fit of the t-shirt gave way to tantalizing skin as it slipped off the smaller man’s shoulders. He looked adorably rumpled—as if he’d just exited a bed rather than a bathroom.

“I’m only wearing your shirt. So, unless you wanted me to steal all of your clothes: yes there was a point,” he said with a slight smile. He threw the towel over one shoulder, figuring his hair was dry enough that it wouldn’t drip water on the floor anymore.

“You know, if you wanted to get in my pants, there are other ways to ask.”

“I have zero interest in getting into your pants,” Kuroko said, looking him up and down with an unimpressed expression. “Just your shirt. And I seem to have achieved that just fine.”

“Too bad, it’s a matching set.”

Kuroko shrugged. “If you insist.” And pulled the shirt over his head. “I guess I’ll go get my own. Can I finish my water first though, or do I have to drink orange juice with it, because apparently things come in pairs around here.” He said, tossing the shirt to Aomine along with the towel.

Aomine was slightly triumphant at having retrieved his shirt, but mainly irritated at the bastard’s snark. If he didn’t kill the man in his sleep, it would be a miracle in itself—or if he didn’t kill the threat of the goddamn boner coming on, maybe he would be the one dying tonight. “You can put your shirt on now. Unless you plan to sleep shirtless. In that case, I’d love to have you sleep outside.” He was being irrational now, but it had been a long day and waking up at the asscrack of dawn tomorrow for work was seeming more and more unappealing.

“I just told you, I planned to put on a shirt when I finished my drink,” Kuroko said calmly, tilting his cup to finish the last of the water and set the glass in the sink, before turning on his heel and walking out, possibly swaying his hips a little. He’d noticed Aomine looking.

Aomine may have gritted his teeth a bit at that. Needing his beer now more than ever, Aomine cracked one open, taking a long glug in preparation for facing the devil currently in his bedroom. Briefly contemplating taking another bottle as well, then deciding against it—he was technically on the job right now—he walked back to his room only to find the damn thief was still stealing—his bed this time. And apparently, the whole shirt thing had gone in one ear and out the other as a new shirt, even bigger than the last, was peeking out from beneath the covers— _Aomine’s_ covers, he reminded himself.

Deciding it was well overdue and _extremely_ well-deserved, Aomine stalked over to the Phantom and picked him up, ignoring the man’s noise of sleepy protest, and dumped him on the guest futon, feeling no small sense of satisfaction at the thud as he hit the mattress.

Kuroko felt himself being pulled from sleep as something, or rather someone, lifted him off of the bed, and then felt himself become fully awake as he felt the sensation of falling, his eyes snapping wide open, before he landed on a mattress. After a moment to get over the surprise, his wide eyes narrowed into a glare at Aomine.

The glare was an added bonus. Aomine grinned in victory before turning around, pointedly ignoring the look directed at his back, and climbing into his bed. He squashed the traitorous _at least it’s warm_ that the back of his mind pointed out and shot one last smug grin towards Kuroko before closing his eyes, feigning sleep. He wasn’t stupid enough to sleep facing away from an angry Phantom.

Kuroko waited until the act was done and Aomine actually did fall asleep before he started rooting through his things for a sticky note. When he found one, he left his signature on it before quietly exiting, after messing with the alarm to make sure it wouldn’t go off.

* * *

 

The first thing Aomine was conscious of was a slight crinkling sound as he drifted out of sleep. The misplaced noise made him wrinkle his forehead, which alerted him to the fact that _something_ was on his damn face. At _that_ , he shot awake, displacing a yellow sticky note from his face with the abrupt movement. Locating it in the mess of blankets before him, he knew what it was before he’d even flipped the damn thing over.

A smiley face.

He had barely glimpsed the empty futon beside his bed before he was out of bed and changing into clothes, just registering the time on the clock near him.

The bastard was messing with him at _three in the morning_.

His last thought as he slammed his front door closed—neighbors be damned—was that hell itself should be shaking in its boots.

_Fucking bastard._


	4. Too Cute for Comfort

Chasing the Phantom through town once again reminded Aomine of the hell he’d put them through the past few months. As he wandered through town aimlessly, he battled thoughts of cold and sleep with thoughts of clocking the guy in the face—multiple times. Or maybe fucking him senseless so that he wouldn’t be so smug anymore. Either worked. Maybe even both. Who knew. Sleep-deprivation could do wonders for your decision making skills.

Aomine was contemplating putting in a request in for an ankle monitor—if the thief was going to make this disappearing act a habit, he’d need a damn leash—when he spotted a shock of blue hair through a cafe window. _Son of a gun._

Walking in, Aomine immediately approached the bastard’s table, a look that could freeze hell over on his face.

Kuroko looked up at Aomine, not seeming very impressed by his anger. “Hello, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko said calmly before taking another sip of his milkshake.

“Don’t _hello Aomine-kun_ me, asshole.” Aomine was royally pissed and drawing curious looks from the other customers in the cafe.

Kuroko frowned slightly at him, looking disapproving. “Aomine-kun, you’re making a scene.” The sun had started to come up by the time Aomine found him, and there were a few people in the cafe for their morning coffee before work.

“And you’re making an ass of yourself. Why should I care if you don’t?”

“I’m not the one shouting. I’m simply enjoying a milkshake that I had a late night craving for. Murasakibara-kun makes the best vanilla milkshakes.” And then he smiled sweetly at him. “I even left you a note and everything.”

“You also failed to note that you _are under police supervision_.” Aomine’s voice had dropped to a harsh whisper though his words were no less angry. “I could haul your ass to the station right now if I wanted.”

“I didn’t want to wake you up,” Kuroko said, voice just as falsely sweet as his smile.

“Awwww, how considerate. I’ll make sure to put the cuffs on extra tight just for you.” Aomine matched every bit of saccharine sweetness in Kuroko’s voice.

Kuroko took another sip of his milkshake before replying. “I’m sure your boss would love to see that you couldn’t even keep track of me for one night. That will reflect very well on your abilities as a law enforcer.”

Aomine leveled him with a very nasty glare before grabbing the man’s milkshake and tossing it in the trash out of frustration and spite.

Kuroko looked affected for the first time during the entire conversation, looking sadly at the trashcan his milkshake had disappeared into before turning genuinely upset eyes on Aomine. “That was such a waste, Aomine-kun.” He said, not having to fake the pout this time.  

Aomine was not being affected by the large puppy dog eyes. He wasn’t. Really. But he had to admit it was freaking adorable. The man looked ready to shed a tear. “I, uh, I wouldn’t have thrown it out if you had been cooperative. Actually, tell me where you’re going next time so I don’t have to search all over the city.” His words had lost all of their bite.

Kuroko hung his head in defeat after another glance at the trash can that had stolen his milkshake. “Okay,” he agreed. “Just don’t throw away any more milkshakes.”

Aomine just silently nodded and motioned for Kuroko to get up. “I’ll buy you another one, so stop moping already.”

Kuroko looked up and smiled at him. “You will?” He was a bit surprised, but pleasantly so.

Aomine was getting to the point where he couldn’t look at Kuroko’s face anymore. He approached the counter as more of an escape than to fulfill his promise.

“You shouldn’t yell at Kuro-chin,” Murasakibara admonished, already starting on the milkshake that he knew the guy had been guilted into buying.

“Ha? What, you feel sorry for the guy?” Aomine grumbled. He didn’t need to deal with any more people. At this point, he was running on fumes, the lack of sleep finally getting to him after the adrenaline of his infuriating chase had passed.

Murasakibara shook his head. “No. I feel sorry for you,” he answered. He and Kuroko had known each other since high school. Kuroko may be sad now, but he’d get the other back eventually.

“He’s like two feet tall and cries over milkshakes. I think I can handle it.” He gruffly accepted the milkshake and added over his shoulder, “Thanks for the concern… I guess.”

“Kuro-chin, be nice to him. He doesn’t know what he’s gotten into,” Murasakibara said as Kuroko happily took the milkshake and started sipping it.

“I’m always nice,” Kuroko replied with dramatic offense.

Murasakibara looked skeptical, but waved a goodbye anyway.

“Oh, can you look after my place for a while? I’m going to be staying with some idiot for a while.” Kuroko added.

“Eh? Too much work~~” Murasakibara whined.

“I have snacks in the pantry you can eat if you take care of it.” Kuroko offered.

Murasakibara hummed in thought. “Do you have Pocky?”

Kuroko smiled and nodded. “Of course. I keep it there for when you come over.”

“Yay~~ I can check on your place when I finish work then, I guess.” With that matter settled, he turned to attend to the next customer. As an afterthought, he added, “Who’s the idiot?”

“This guy.” Kuroko pointed at Aomine. “Thank you for helping me out.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t be too hard on him, remember? And I’ll make the vanilla cake you like next time you come in.” Murasakibara turned to Aomine briefly, assessing him. “Good luck. You’ll need it.”

Aomine was angry at the whole “idiot” comment, but that warning was ominous. He chose to bite back a retort and dragged Kuroko through the doors with him, intent on salvaging the rest of his day without hassle. He had work to do.

“Aomine-kun, do I get to go back to work?” Kuroko asked as he half walked and half was dragged, sipping at his milkshake.

“We’re about to find out. Imayoshi said that he would speak to your principal about it.” Aomine gave a silent thank you at not having to deal with the angry principal again. The man was fucking scary. Come to think of it, the other teacher he spoke to—Riko was it? She was scary too. Maybe that whole school was just messed up. Add in the sneak thief and it was more circus than school.

“If I can’t, does that mean that I’m going to work with you?” Kuroko asked.

“I will pray to whoever will listen that you really really won’t.”

“I make a _great_ work partner. Just ask Izuki-kun,” Kuroko said.

“You know, you _look_ like you’re being serious, but I can _feel_ the sass.” Aomine gave a theatrical shudder as proof. “Somehow, I _highly_ doubt that.”

“I’m great with kids,” Kuroko argued. “Unlike someone, who I recall freezing when a kid cried in front of him,” he added.

“Well I recall someone crying over a milkshake. Tears all around, buddy.” Aomine walked ahead before Kuroko could get another word in.

“I didn’t cry. I just got sad. Very sad,” Kuroko said, looking at the ground, before he perked up again as he took another sip of his milkshake.

 _No wonder you work with children. You’re an oversized child yourself_ , Aomine thought, but wisely held his tongue. “Yeah, well that milkshake better last until we make it to the station. I’m not buying you another, and you’re not complaining seeing as we’re—” Aomine checked his phone for the time then groaned “—probably going to be about an hour late. You better check that mouth of yours on the ride to the station,” he finished as he unlocked the door to his apartment.

Kuroko walked in with him. He was still in pajamas and Aomine’s shirt, so he made his way to the bedroom, setting down the milkshake, and changing into a pair of jeans, leaving the shirt on.

Aomine followed, stripping clothes as he went so he could hurry into his uniform, desperately trying to shave off as much time as he could. Imayoshi would kill him.

When Aomine walked into the room, Kuroko paused in the action of pulling up his jeans to take in the lack of clothes on Aomine. _Hm. Not bad._ He looked him up and down before returning his attention to pulling the pants on.

Passing by Kuroko to his closet—sneaking a quick look at his exposed skin—he managed to ask, “Do you plan on returning my shirt?” as he pulled on his uniform and loosely knotted the tie around his neck before grabbing the keys to his cruiser and making for the door. He would fix the tie later.

“No. It’s comfortable,” Kuroko replied, then he noticed the tie. “Stop,” he ordered, walking over to Aomine.

“What? We really don’t have time for whatever bullshit you’re planning now.” Aomine was furiously patting his pockets, making sure he had everything he needed.

Kuroko walked over so that he was right in front of Aomine, and stood up on his tiptoes to reach his tie. “That would have bothered me all day,” he said as he fixed it.

Aomine froze, one hand placing his keys in his pocket, the other mid-air, stopped in the action of running through his hair nervously.

“Um, I would have fixed that later.” Aomine was having trouble forming words with a face so close to his own—especially one so... _well damn_ , cute turned kinda sexy from that angle. “But, uh, thanks?” he managed to stutter out, finally regaining control of his body.

“You’re welcome.” Kuroko patted Aomine’s chest where the tie rested when he was done, before lowering himself back to standing flat on his feet and picking up his milkshake.

If Aomine wasn’t late before, he certainly would be now that he was struggling to remember how to walk. “Alright, let’s head out. We’re taking the cruiser…” he paused in thought. “I suppose I’ll even let you ride in front this time.”

Kuroko grinned. “Sounds good.”

* * *

 

“Aomine-kun, your penmanship is atrocious,” Kuroko commented as he peered at the report Aomine was writing. He’d been wandering around the station ever since Imayoshi told him he didn’t need to go to work, but he kept drifting back to Aomine’s desk.

“This must be one of those great child-care skills you boasted of before. I can see it now: children crying over Kuroko-sensei calling their drawings ugly,” Aomine shot back, more than a little annoyed that the parasite had come back to his desk _again_ and would. Not. _Leave._

“Aomine-kun wants me to treat him like a child?” Kuroko asked, tilting his head curiously. He then shrugged and knelt down next to Aomine’s desk. “Now, Daiki, you’re doing very well on this letter,” he said, pointing. “However, this one could use a bit of work. If you just make the curve a little more defined, it will look so much prettier,” he told him encouragingly, flashing a bright smile.

Of course, that was the moment Momoi decided to make an appearance. Aomine was alerted to her presence by the soft snickers a bit behind him. Stifling a groan before it could form, he turned around and was about to ask her what the hell she wanted from him, damn woman, but she interrupted.

“Come on, Dai-chan. One day and you’re already on a first name basis. And who knew you were such a pushover, letting your boyfriend coach you on your handwriting,” she flashed a smile that practically shouted _I will never let you forget this_. “What a teddy bear.”

“I know right, I was surprised by how quick we are moving too. It’s a good thing he’s not such a pushover in bed, or else it just wouldn’t work,” Kuroko told her with a wink.

Aomine spluttered but Momoi ignored him, her smile turning genuine. “You know, I think I like this one, Dai-chan.” She returned the wink and shot Aomine a beatific smile for good measure. “You need someone who’ll keep that massive ego in check.”

“If only something other than the ego were massive,” Kuroko complained. “He may be able to take charge in the bedroom, but I just wish there were more.”

And of course, as if hell were sitting back and enjoying the show, Imayoshi made his appearance as well. “As much as I appreciate all this talk of inflated egos and insufficient… other things, I would love to see you doing some work too. Perhaps Mr. Phantom here can hold your hand and help you write your reports.” Aomine silently sent up a prayer for the ground to open up beneath him and save him from his misery.

“I was actually helping him with his handwriting before this conversation started,” Kuroko told the chief.

Imayoshi flashed a grin that Aomine took for a much too smug smirk. “Oh _really_?” Aomine made eye contact with the chief and probably died a bit there and then. “ _What_ a coincidence…” Imayoshi ended before moving towards his office.

“Would you like any more tips on your hand writing, Aomine-kun?” Kuroko asked.

“I’d like tips on how the hell to make you people _leave me alone_.” He pointed a fierce look at first Kuroko, then Satsuki, who hadn’t moved from her spot, enjoying the show too much.

“Well, I did ask you to let me go when you first pinned me to that wall yesterday. You asked why you should. I think you have your answer, but it’s a bit late now,” Kuroko told him.

“Ooooh, Dai-chan~~” Momoi interjected, “How _forward_.” She turned to Kuroko and flashed a conspiratory smile. “Must be compensating for something, eh?”

“I wish it weren’t so, but I think you are correct.”

Aomine made no attempts to hide his groan now.

“Aomine-kun, save those kinds of noises for the bedroom. I’m not even doing anything right now,” Kuroko reprimanded.

There may have been a choking sound coming from the poor detective, but honestly they were having far too much trouble quieting their laughter to make it out.

Beyond fed up, Aomine stood from his desk and towered over Kuroko, fully aware of the height difference between them. He pointed a finger at Satsuki which only seemed to increase her amusement. “I swear, if the both of you don’t scram right now, I will shoot you both.”

Kuroko turned a pout to Momoi. “Aomine-kun doesn’t like me anymore,” he said, letting fake sadness drip from his tone. “I think he’s breaking up with me.”

Momoi opened her mouth to reply but Aomine cut her off, intent on evicting them from his work station, “Oh _boo_ fucking _hoo_. Go cry at Satsuki’s desk! Now _go_.” At this point, he was practically growling.

“Told you he can take charge." Kuroko grinned, offering an arm to her.

She laid a hand on the arm, posing like a lady with her gentleman escort. “Come on, Tetsu-kun. We can go bond at my desk,” she said. “I’ll show you pictures of Dai-chan as a baby. He was a big cry baby, so don’t be surprised if he isn’t smiling in most of them. I think I even have some of his braces phase.” She raised her voice just enough for Aomine to hear as she and Kuroko walked off.

Aomine almost called out a response but didn’t want to risk them coming back after finally ridding himself of the pests. When they were out of sight—but certainly not out of mind—Aomine lowered his head to the desk and heaved a deep sigh.

_If I survive this, there better be a special edition Mai-chan photobook in my future._

* * *

 

The rest of the week carried on pretty much the same way. Kuroko would annoy him at work with Satsuki, steal his shirts at night, and disappear every now and then to go get milkshakes. Aomine eventually just got Murasakibara’s number so that he could call and ask if Kuroko was there. At one point he just told him, “Just send him home, please. I’m too tired to go pick him up,” and trusted that Kuroko would be back. Which was dangerous, because Kuroko was still a criminal, but he’d been too tired to care.

After about a week of that, Kise, their go-to for new identities, came up to them beaming brightly, and handed them their new identification and keys to another apartment and car. Kuroko frowned at his picture. His lip had healed during the week, but it looked pretty bad in the photo. Oh well. He was sure there were worse ID photos.

Finally. Now the fun could start


	5. Convince Me

Akashi leaned against the door to the apartment as he waited for its two soon-to-be occupants to carry their things in. He wasn’t helping, but they hadn’t asked him to, so he could pretend it wasn’t rude.

“Home sweet home,” Aomine grumbled as he locked the door to his new, and disappointingly _functional_ (because _Detective Aomine, this is from the_ department's _budget_ and _I’m sorry, Aomine-san, but we really can’t buy you a sports car_ ) car and turned with boxes in hand to look up at his and Tetsu’s new apartment. He already missed his actual home.

He started at the figure waiting by their door.

“Phantom-san, Daiki, glad to see you haven’t killed each other,” Akashi said when they were close enough to hear him.

“Akashi-san, what are you doing here?” Kuroko asked, tilting his head.

“I just thought I’d check in. I should know where you guys are staying after all. And I needed to drop off the offers that have already been passed to me for you to give to Phantom-san, Daiki. Please be sure to get them yourself from now on. I’m a busy man. I’m sure the meeting places have been emailed to you by now.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Aomine grumbled. He never really got along well with Akashi, and he was starting to remember why— the condescending asshole. He accepted the offers from him and placed them on top of the box he was carrying.

Kuroko took the file from him, setting down his suit case inside and flipping through the different things, pulling a face. “They’re all the same. Valuable artifacts, money, jewels. How predictable,” he complained.

“Sorry to disappoint, but criminals typically are.” Akashi was leaning over Kuroko’s shoulder to look as well, much too close to the shorter male for Aomine’s comfort.

Aomine eyed the close proximity for a bit before returning his attention back to the files at hand, though part of his brain refused to forget the image of Akashi brushing Tetsu’s shoulder. “Yeah, well you’ve made your way pretty high up, so I figured you get _something_ interesting.”

Kuroko, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care at all about how close Akashi was, and only laughed at Akashi’s reply. “That’s not my job, Daiki. That’s yours. My job was only to let people know that the Phantom is for hire now. I don’t control what they want from him, or what job you guys get.”

Aomine only grunted in response. He hoped this job wouldn’t take too long. He could only feel so comfortable associating with multiple criminals and helping them with their crimes.

Kuroko’s face lit up as he reached for one file, looking like someone had just told him Christmas was coming early. “This one looks interesting,” he said, pointing it out to Akashi, who was still hovering just behind him.

Akashi shook his head. “Not a good idea. Get used to what you’re doing first. That’s a pretty dangerous job.”

“Exactly!” Kuroko replied excitedly. “That’s why it looks fun. Check out all the security on this place.” He was grinning as he read over the file.

Aomine had a bad feeling about whatever it was if Akashi was hesitant. He snatched the papers from Kuroko with an “Oi, lemme see” then froze at the target name. _Haizaki Shougo_. What was the biggest drug dealer in all of Japan doing on their hit list?! He knew Kuroko wouldn’t back down—knowing how the guy thought was what had clued him into the whole police station heist in the beginning—so he chose to complain to Akashi for all the trouble he saw on the horizon. “Damn it, Akashi, didn’t you screen this crap before handing it over?!”

“No. Again, that is not my job,” Akashi replied. “It’s not my fault that you let him take the folder before you went through it.”

Kuroko was still radiating excitement as he took the file back, rereading it. “Oh, come on. This is what you guys wanted, right? Bigger criminals?”

“Maybe. Not quite so soon though,” Akashi tried, placing a hand on Kuroko’s shoulder to try and calm him down.

“I also want to come through this with my life, if possible. I won’t enjoy dying because you decided to jump the gun,” Aomine added, slightly perturbed by how casually Akashi touched Kuroko.

“I’m good at my job,” Kuroko argued. “I can do this. Give me a week to get ready and I can get in,” he said confidently.

Aomine whistled, impressed despite his brain screaming warnings about self-preservation. “Well, if we’re going to do this, might as well be as thorough as possible.”

“ _We?”_ Kuroko faltered, tilting his head. “No, you’ll mess me up. I need to look at the place by myself, and break in by myself.”

“Yes, we. ‘Police supervision’, remember? That includes the heists. You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not. You can reread the contract if you want.” Aomine turned to Akashi to continue, but Kuroko interrupted.

Kuroko frowned. “You can’t even sneak up on me. I can’t do anything if I have to keep you out of trouble as well. We might as well quit now if you’re coming along.”

“I don’t care. Now shut up and let me talk.” He turned back to Akashi. “Two weeks. I want all the intel you can get: names, schedules, blueprints, _everything_. I don’t care if it’s how many times the guy’s gardener takes a shit. I want everything you can get your hands on, and I want it within that timeframe. Mr. Antsy might explode if you take any longer.”

“You can’t even keep me from sneaking out to get milkshakes at night without you. You took months to catch me, and only did it because you messed up on your paperwork. You are a liability on an actual heist. One that I refuse to have with me because I like living too, and amazingly enough, I don’t want you dead either,” Kuroko continued as if Aomine hadn’t talked. Akashi sat down to watch the show, looking far too amused.

Aomine noticed this and focused his ire on the smug bastard enjoying the argument. “I told you what to do. Now either scram and get started or talk this guy down. You know the rules better than him. Also, don’t they need you back by now?” Akashi wasn’t normally able to get away from his undercover work so long. The job was too valuable for them to be busted over a stupid argument.

“I’m talking to criminals. That’s part of my job,” Akashi replied, but got to his feet. “Although, I do have a meeting soon. I’m supposed to be blowing someone’s arm off in an hour.” There shouldn’t have been a smile on his face, but there was, and it could convince anyone that he really was the mob boss he pretended to be. Kuroko silently thought that if he didn’t work for the police he would be in that position anyway.

“I really _really_ did not need to know that.” Unfortunately, the admitted discomfort only added to the mob boss’ grin. As Aomine watched the man walk away, he muttered, “Two weeks is too soon to see your face again.”

“I can’t be here all the time, so I’m going to email the info to you,” Akashi said. “Also, I hope you can get over your discomfort. They’ll eat you alive out here if they sense it. You have to be enjoying yourself. Loosen up some. I’m sure that Phantom-san can help you with that.” And then Akashi walked out their door.

“I will not have you on one of my heists,” Kuroko started again as soon as the door was closed.

“I need to watch over you. You are not doing any of this shit unsupervised.”

“Then give me a tracker or a headset. You can’t be near me. You will get us caught, and subsequently killed.”  

“I’m a cop! I think I can handle simple infiltration! You’re not leaving this apartment without me. Am I clear?”

Kuroko looked at him blankly for a moment before turning and doing just that. “No,” he called over his shoulder, quickly pulling a disappearing act as soon as he was out of Aomine’s sight.

Aomine followed the man to the door and out onto the street, barely keeping up with the bastard’s whole disappear/reappear crap. He was doing well until an intersection with a light. Then he lost him in the crowd.

_Asshole._

* * *

 

Kuroko came back about two hours later, arms loaded with grocery bags so that they would be able to eat that night. He even bought alcohol. Mostly for Aomine, but he might need some too if he was going to be dealing with this argument again. “I’m home,” he called, starting to put the things away.  

“Welcome back, fucking asshole.” Aomine was still livid from their abruptly ended conversation earlier. He had been sifting through the jobs again, with no real purpose other than having something to do.

“I brought groceries.” Kuroko was completely unperturbed by the harsh greeting.

Aomine took the groceries from him and looked through what could be used for dinner. Deciding he wasn’t in the mood to make anything complicated, he started to chop up the vegetables for fried rice, barely acknowledging Kuroko.

“So, do you still think you should come with me? You couldn’t even keep up with me when I walked away right in front of you,” Kuroko commented, starting on the rice.

Aomine refused to dignify that with a response and continued to cut the vegetables.

Kuroko rolled his eyes at the silent treatment, but didn’t contest it. He could do without talking to Aomine for a little while. When the rice was started and he had nothing else to do, he walked into the living room and started flipping through TV stations.

He worked out his anger on the poor vegetables, mincing them a bit too fine and, when he ran out of vegetables, turning back to the groceries for more things to chop. Better to stay in the kitchen than to move into the living room where he could really do some damage.

Kuroko came back in to get something to drink and, when there was still nothing said to him, rolled his eyes again. “I never knew you were such a child. I should have seen the signs since I work with them constantly, but really, this is pathetic,” Kuroko stated as he filled a glass with water, although he wanted it to be something stronger.

Aomine slammed the knife down onto the cutting board before spinning around and pointing a finger at Kuroko, “Y’KNOW WHAT!? EVEN IF I’M A CHILD, AT LEAST I HAVE THE PROPER MANNERS TO NOT WALK OUT ON SOMEONE WHILE TALKING TO THEM!”

Kuroko arched an eyebrow. “Manners? You mean the same ones that you are using to scream at me right now? Or the ones you used to start calling me by a nickname of my first name before you’d even known me for a day? I’m sorry, but when did you gain any semblance of manners?”

“Tch, well at least I have the decency to always tell you if I’m going somewhere instead of just walking away or sneaking out. Are crappy milkshakes really worth that much?”

Kuroko smiled sweetly at him. “They are worth enough that I wouldn’t insult them in front of me when I am in close proximity to a knife,” he warned.

“Oh wow am I scared, the knife is closer to me,” Aomine rolled his eyes.

“And I’ll take it before you even notice, because apparently you can’t even keep your eyes on me when I’m right in front of you. I mean, I already got this one.” Kuroko tossed the knife he’d nicked when he had walked in and seen Aomine holding one. He tossed it into the sink next to Aomine, and then went to the fridge. He needed something stronger than water. He skipped right over the beer and picked up a bottle of vodka, taking a long drag without even flinching before facing Aomine again.

Maybe insulting the milkshakes was a bad idea, but he was too angry to care at that moment. Getting a knife stolen from right in front of him, without his notice, was definitely a wake up call, and so was witnessing the small man take a very long swig of some very hard liquor with a very straight face. Maybe they could drink themselves to sleep and actually talk about it rationally over some hangovers. Aomine waited for Kuroko to stop drinking from the bottle before taking it from him and taking a long swig himself. The burn in his throat caught him off-guard though, and he flinched before managing to swallow.

Kuroko frowned when the vodka was taken from him. “No, I’m trying to get drunk to _deal_ with you, not get drunk _with_ you,” he complained, taking it back while Aomine was busy making a face. _Cute_ , he thought smugly as he threw back another shot’s worth.

Aomine grabbed the beer that Kuroko had bought from the fridge and cracked one open. “I figured we’d both be less angry if we were both drunk. We can work things out tomorrow over a nasty hangover— no better way to bond I say.”

Kuroko looked skeptical, but finally shrugged and moved to start frying the rice after another drink. “Whatever, but I’m not changing my mind. You will get us killed.” He was finally starting to feel _something_ from the vodka, but not enough yet.

Chugging half his beer, Aomine was already starting to feel the affects of the vodka. “Mmmm, how about this. If I can surprise you at least once within the next 10 days, I go with you on the infiltration. If not, you can go it alone.” His words were starting to slur.

Kuroko turned to face him. “Should you be making that decision when I can already hear the vodka in your words?” He asked him, before turning back to the rice, throwing the vegetables in and then taking another swig of the vodka.

Aomine moved to help but felt the buzz of the alcohol and decided that maybe he shouldn’t be allowed near heavy objects or fire right now. Instead he leaned against the counter and appreciated the view of Tetsu’s backside. He took more time to reply as he was struggling to search for the words. “I’m good at decisions. Especially right now.” He punctuated his words with another swig of his bottle.

“Is one of those decisions staring at my ass?” Kuroko asked over his shoulder. “But sure, Aomine-kun, if you can sneak up on me one time, and genuinely scare me by surprising me, I will let you come with me. And we will die together.” He separated the rice onto two plates and handed one to Aomine. He was definitely starting to feel the alcohol now. It only took about half a bottle of hard liquor, give or take. He moved back into the living room and sat on the couch with his food and started eating.

Aomine followed the ass that he had definitely been in the process of appreciating, belatedly realizing he’d left his food and beer on the counter and backtracking to take them with him. “I told ya,” he walked slowly, one foot in front of the other, “I make good decisions.” He perched next to Kuroko on the couch, facing him so he could take in the full view.

Kuroko raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh yeah? Prove it,” he challenged.

Aomine smiled and moved his plate of untouched food to the floor, “Alright.”

Kuroko laughed and set down his own plate. “I hope you’re a better flirt when you’re sober.”

Aomine’s smile grew until his cheeks hurt, stalking closer towards Kuroko on the couch. When he was just a breath away, he whispered, “I guess you’ll have to stick around to find out,” before sealing Kuroko’s lips with his own.

Kuroko kissed back, wrapping his arms around Aomine to pull him down with him when he laid back on the couch, parting his lips to give Aomine’s tongue access to his mouth.

Aomine supported his weight with one arm while caressing Tetsu’s face with the his free hand, running his fingers through his hair and enjoying the feel of the silky strands. He pulled back briefly for a quick “See? Good decisions,” before initiating another kiss, deeper than before, only separating again to run his tongue along the side of Tetsu’s neck. When he reached the base of his neck, he bit lightly, then, enjoying the little sounds that bubbled up from the base of Tetsu’s throat, bit harder. He then moved to his collarbone, searching for a sweet spot that would make Tetsu moan.

Kuroko tilted his head back to give Aomine better access. He tried to keep from making any sound, but found little noises escaping his lips anyway. And then Aomine reached his collar bone and found a sensitive spot of skin. “Dai-Daiki...” He gasped, arching his back to press them closer together.

Aomine ground down against Tetsu’s crotch, moving his mouth back to Kuroko’s more forcefully as his arousal grew and his pants got uncomfortably tight. He moved his hand from Tetsu’s hair, touching the spots he’d bitten to stroking down his chest and drifting towards his crotch. As he placed his fingers on the fly of Tetsu’s jeans, he moved his mouth to nip at the base of his throat once more, wanting to hear him moan. But before he could… he passed out, head dropping to lie on Kuroko’s shoulder and his body crushing the smaller man with its dead weight.

Kuroko felt the wind leave him as Aomine collapsed onto him, and he struggled to get out from under him. “Warn people if you can’t hold your liquor,” Kuroko muttered in complaint. He couldn’t get himself out from under Aomine, and he felt pretty awkward with the other’s hand still on his crotch. "I wish we were in space. Then we would be floating, and I could get out from under you." He eventually just gave up the struggle and settled in to try and get some sleep, since it didn’t seem he was going to be moving anytime soon.   

* * *

 

Aomine woke up with a minor headache and immediately squeezed his eyes shut against the light in the room coming from… somewhere. He briefly raised his head but decided that the light hurt too much and his head wanted more sleep and that his bed was very comfy and warm—er, scratch that. He opened his eyes, still squinting against the light, and managed to take in what looked like a TV and the walls of the living room—he wasn’t really sure though, considering he was taking this in through tiny slits of vision.

Closing his eyes fully and steeling himself for a forced wake up, he opened his eyes and kept them open through sheer force of will. Upon looking down, he found that his bed wasn’t quite a bed at all. He moved to get off Tetsu, but had to pause, steadying himself, then moved—more slowly this time—off the couch fully. Staring down at the passed out Kuroko, Aomine managed to remember bits and pieces of last night and groaned. With any luck, Kuroko wouldn’t remember a thing.

Kuroko made a small noise as he started to wake up, a pounding in his head reminding him of how much vodka had been in his system without any water to wash it down and hardly any food. He grit his teeth, knowing it was going to hurt, and then opened his eyes to face the sunlight, and saw Aomine staring down at him. “Morning,” he mumbled to the taller man. “I’m going to go puke. Or brush my teeth. We’ll see how standing makes me feel.” He sat up and started walking towards the bathroom. Which was how he caught sight of the hickies on his neck and collarbone, and memories of the night before flooded his brain so fast that it made his head hurt more. He ran a hand through his hair, and decided a cold shower was what he needed. So, he brushed his teeth and turned on the water. Despite his best efforts, soap and water did not get rid of the spots on his skin, and he eventually gave up. He wore his own shirt for once to try and keep at least one of them covered—his shirts could cover his shoulders better than Aomine’s—and walked into the kitchen in search of coffee.

Aomine was already brewing a pot and greeted Kuroko with a sheepish half-smile and a warning that it would be ready soon. He skirted around the smaller man in the kitchen, still unsure of just how much he’d remember and hoping not to bring back any memories best left forgotten. He waited until the coffee was done and they were both waking up with their own steaming mugs before making his first attempt at conversation that morning. “So… how’d you sleep?”

“As well as one can when drunk on a couch with someone heavier than themselves sleeping on top of them.” Kuroko answered, taking a sip of the scalding coffee. “And you?”

Aomine offered another of those half-smiles before taking another sip of his coffee, hoping to drink a bit of courage out of the cup. The thought of spiking his mug flitted through his mind, but he was smart enough to realize that alcohol would be the opposite of helpful at that moment. “Um, good? I guess… My head is pounding. I’m surprised you brought home hard liquor.”

“I thought I might want to get drunk. Just beer wasn’t going to do that for me,” Kuroko explained with a shrug. “My head isn’t feeling that great either,” he added sympathetically. Mostly it was his stomach churning, but he thought that maybe some food would help with that. He’d make something when he finished his coffee.

Kuroko still hadn’t mentioned last night, and Aomine was seriously wondering if he remembered _anything,_ until he spotted the hickey at the base of his throat. His eyes locked onto the bruise and he lost his ability to form coherent thoughts.

“If you’re going to stare, at least take responsibility for both,” Kuroko remarked before finishing off his coffee and getting up to go through their fridge. He decided on eggs, because they were simple, and got started on making enough for both of them.

Aomine was still staring dumbly—now at Kuroko’s back as he rummaged through the fridge—before registering the man’s words. “ _Both?!”_ he managed to squeak out. _Where the hell was the second one?_

“Yes. Both. As in two. As in more than one,” Kuroko replied, cracking eggs into a pan and starting to stir them.

Aomine almost didn’t want to ask, but decided his sanity need to know. He downed the rest of his mug and made to refill it, eyeing Kuroko out the corner of his eye as he stood in front of the coffee maker beside the stove, gauging Kuroko’s body language. “Soo… where is the, uh… second… hick—bruise?” At this point, no amount of caffeine could save him.

Kuroko glanced up from the eggs and used his free hand to tug at the collar of his shirt to reveal it for a few seconds before letting go and getting back to cooking. His stomach was flipping too much for this conversation.

Aomine sighed in relief and muttered, “Oh thank god.” Then he belatedly realized he’d said it out loud. _Oops?_

Kuroko gave him a deadpan look. “And where did Aomine-kun think it was?” he asked flatly. He might have enjoyed the clear discomfort Aomine was displaying more if he weren’t dealing with his hangover at the moment.

The caffeine must have been kicking in, considering Aomine managed not to say _um, your chest?_ or possibly even worse _your ass._ “Collarbone. I definitely thought it was on your collarbone,” he lied through his teeth. It was way too early for them to be up considering the night they’d had and he was way too hungover for any decent lies.

“It’s a good thing that you’re not a criminal, Aomine-kun. You are a terrible liar. You should work on that if you’re going to be taking jobs for me,” Kuroko commented, finishing the eggs and dividing them between two plates. He took his own and moved to the table after pouring another cup of coffee.

Aomine numbly nodded his thanks for the breakfast, distantly noting that he would have to eat several more plates before he was satisfied—especially when he was hungover. They ate in a silence that might have been awkward if they weren’t both nursing headaches.

_At least we’re hungover together?_

* * *

 

Both men were finally recovered enough for lights and noise, and they sat on the couch, a pizza between them and a movie in the TV, deciding to take a lazy day considering the morning they’d suffered through.

As Aomine turned for another slice only to find Kuroko holding it to his mouth, he opened his mouth to complain, but stopped when he noticed something else: Kuroko’s shirt fit. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t have been at all remarkable, except that Kuroko had taken to wearing Aomine’s shirts—even outside of the house. “Um, is that _your_ shirt?” Aomine asked aloud.

Kuroko had been about to take a bite of pizza when Aomine asked his question and Kuroko turned a blank expression on him. “Yes. I do own shirts,” he replied.

“None that I’ve seen.” Aomine gaped, pizza forgotten.

“Well, someone decided to _brand_ me last night. I don’t own a turtle neck, so this is the best I can do. Unless you want to observe your work,” Kuroko said, looking down at his shirt—just a simple blue and white striped shirt, before turning his attention back to his pizza.

Aomine didn’t bother responding, opting to take their glasses of water to the kitchen and topping them off.

“Hey, speaking of last night, do you remember the deal we made?” Kuroko called, leaning so that his head was resting on the back of the couch, putting the pizza back in the box for Aomine.

“Faintly.” Both hangovers had ended, but Kuroko seemed to have a better grasp of last night than Aomine did. It looked like he should have been worried about what he’d forgotten. Aomine placed the water glasses on the coffee table, seeing the pizza slice returned to the box.

“You agreed that you wouldn’t go on the heist with me if you couldn’t legitimately scare me by sneaking up on me one time in the next ten days while we wait for the information,” Kuroko told him.

“Oh.” Aomine remembered something about surprising and ten something, but not much else. “Well, I’d say that’s still a valid deal. When does it start?”

“It starts now. I just think I should warn you, I worked with children. I don’t know how well your attempts at scaring me are going to go. Especially since you’re bad at keeping quiet.”

Aomine again refused to dignify that with a response, turning his attention to the pizza slice and deciding he wasn’t terribly hungry after all, ripping it in half and leaving the rest. He saw an explosion out of the corner of his eye and realized the movie was still running, and that it probably wouldn’t make much sense anyway, moving to grab the remote and stop the movie, pausing it in case Kuroko might protest.

Kuroko smiled at him when he halved the pizza and took his half. “Please, if you actually think something will work, don’t do it while I’m holding something heavy though. I don’t want to hurt my foot and be too slow on the mission.”

That was a fair point. "I’d like to make another ground rule for when the deal ends: no more stealing potential weapons,” he countered, remembering _that_ part of last night.

Kuroko gave him the same sweet smile from before. “Then don’t talk badly about milkshakes.” It wasn’t like he would have ever used it on Aomine. He wasn’t that kind of criminal.

“Yeah yeah. Leave the milkshake addiction alone. Got it.” Aomine waved the matter away. “We can seal the deal tomorrow at Murasakibara’s if you want.”

Kuroko’s eyes lit up—much in the same way they had when he had first seen their next target—at the offer to go get milkshakes. “I would like that very much.” He smiled—a genuinely sweet one this time, instead of scarily.

Aomine’s heart thudded loudly at that adorable smile, and he remembered their night before with warmth for the first time that day. It hadn’t been all bad. He remembered the taste of Kuroko and ached for more, glad that his dark skin made the blush on his face hard to see.

He offered his hand to seal the deal and Kuroko shook it, still smiling.

Things were finally looking up.


	6. Escape

Aomine waited a day before springing his first surprise that morning after breakfast—and failing.

Kuroko didn’t even look up from the book he was reading when he heard footsteps trying too hard to not be heard. “Aomine-kun, can you turn on that lamp for me? I don’t think I’m getting enough light, and this is the climax of the book,” he asked dully.

“... You know, you could be a little nicer.” Aomine dutifully turned it on anyway. “How about a ‘please’?”

“That sounds like something people do for people who aren’t trying to scare them at the climax of their book,” Kuroko said, eyes still scanning the page.

Aomine considered that—briefly. “Nope. I think I at least deserve a ‘thank you’. I could’ve turned around and left instead.”

Kuroko reluctantly tore his eyes away from the page to look at Aomine. “Thank you. Now let me read in peace.”

Aomine grinned and bowed low, dramatically. “Of course, Your Majesty,” he joked, leaving Kuroko to read in peace—with a smile on his face.

* * *

 

Kuroko had been in the shower a few minutes before Aomine got his next idea on the evening of the second day. He waited outside the bathroom door on the side the door opened toward so Kuroko wouldn’t see him as it opened. Sometimes, the classics really were the best.

Unfortunately, that was a bust too.

Kuroko flung the door open when he exited the bathroom, steam trailing behind him, and heard the door hit something.

Aomine cursed as his face collided with the heavy door. “ _Shit_ , Tetsu!” he exclaimed, clutching his face and still muttering incoherent strings of mashed up expletives.

“Aomine-kun.” Kuroko looked vaguely concerned, but not surprised. “You know, peeping is considered rude. If you wanted to see something, you could have just asked,” he said, and then sauntered off to his room to try and get some sleep.

Tenderly touching his face and wondering whether he needed ice, he made his way to the kitchen for pain pills, deciding it would kill two birds. Sleep without a pounding face would be nice.

Before retiring for the night, he stopped by Tetsu’s room a door down from his own and opened the door to a shirtless Tetsu.

“Aomine-kun. Did I not just tell you that peeping is rude?” Kuroko asked. “So is not knocking,” he added as an after thought.

Aomine filed the second part away for consideration. “I was coming in to ask, actually. You didn’t seem like you’d say no.” He grinned and eyed Tetsu’s bare chest appreciatively, casting a glance at the dark bruises still on Kuroko’s neck and collarbone.

Kuroko arched an eyebrow at the forwardness. “At least we know you’re a better flirt when you’re sober, but try again later.” Kuroko tossed Aomine’s shirt, that he had just taken out to put on, aiming for it to land on his head so that it would cover his eyes.

Aomine caught the shirt mid-air with one hand, raising his own brow in amusement. “Hmm, alright,” he relented, but stalked into the room anyway, pressing a quick kiss to Tetsu’s temple before he lost his nerve and retreating from the room as quickly as he’d entered.

Kuroko felt a blush take over his face, and it took him until Aomine left to realize that he still had the shirt that Kuroko was planning to wear. He shrugged and started looking for another stolen piece of clothing in his closet. He’d taken plenty of them after all.

* * *

 

On the fifth day, Aomine figured enough time had passed to give him the element of surprise.

He snuck into Tetsu’s room around two am, planning to give Kuroko a rude awakening. He crept to the edge of the thief's bed and picked him up, planning to carry him to the living room and dump him onto the couch. That would be surprising, right?

Kuroko stirred about halfway there in Aomine’s arms, blinking up at him sleepily. “Kidnapping is illegal, Daiki,” he murmured, closing his eyes again, and resting his head on Aomine’s chest.

Aomine stopped mid-step and frowned down at the sleeping figure in his arms. _That_ was illegal just now, he thought, blushing at the use of his first name. Scrapping his plan, he carried Kuroko back to the room and deposited him gently onto the bed.

Kuroko mumbled something that probably wasn’t real words, and reached out for Aomine with his eyes still closed, blindly fumbling until he found his hand and tangled their fingers together.

Aomine panicked. He’d been ready to bolt out of the room to save himself from further embarrassment, but he didn’t want to wake Kuroko up a second time. Still clasping hands, he stood there awkwardly before climbing into the bed as well, pulling the covers up with his free hand. He hadn’t started it anyway so he was probably safe.

The next morning Kuroko woke up, not remembering any of the night before, and was very confused to find himself wrapped up in Aomine’s arms. “Aomine-kun? What are you doing?” he asked, turning in his arms so that they were facing each other, and poking his cheek to wake him up.

Aomine grunted in response but refused to wake up, pulling Kuroko closer and pressing his lips to Kuroko’s temple when he shifted in his sleep.

Kuroko was thankful Aomine was fully asleep so he wouldn’t see his blush.

* * *

 

Akashi had been sending along bits of information throughout the week and Aomine’s surprise attempts also continued. He tried twice more in the dead of night, but only received sleepy scoldings that always resulted in him tucking the adorable criminal back into bed. Other attempts were classic jump scares, leaping out from the shadows or from behind doors. Some were random, decided when he saw Kuroko asleep on the couch or absorbed in something. Once he’d tried while Kuroko was drinking a milkshake—and feared for his life as a result. He wasn’t trying that one again. It was hard to remember that Kuroko was actually a criminal just biding his time until his next hit, but looks like the one he had gotten slammed that perspective right back into place.

Amazingly enough, Kuroko did manage to lay out his plans for the heist, not including a role for Aomine. And even more amazingly, Aomine did manage one (less than) half-successful scare—well, more of a startle. Unfortunately for Aomine, he wasn’t even trying then.

It was the ninth day of their deal, and it had been a long day of planning—Haizaki was a well connected guy with a huge list of associates that Aomine had sifted through, searching for weak links. He’d had a meet up with Akashi, which was more exhausting than any fifteen minute meeting had any right to be, and came home frustrated, tired, and pissed off (he’d barely lasted five minutes with Akashi before that last feeling had reared its head).

Honestly, Aomine had been hoping to steal a quick kiss from Tetsu before turning in for the night, but changed his plans when he saw him changing, the shirt raised over his head, revealing smooth, pale skin that Aomine wanted to run his hands over and feel with his lips.

He approached languidly, which apparently made him much quieter, and wrapped his arms around Tetsu just as the shirt had come down around his head. Aomine nuzzled his face into Tetsu’s neck, belatedly realizing the man had gone stiff in his arms.

“Are you… _surprised_?” Aomine wondered aloud, pulling his head back and turning Tetsu in his arms to see the look on his face.

Kuroko’s eyes were only slightly widened in surprise, and he opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. Apparently, Aomine surprising him was more surprising than the action itself.

Aomine smiled at the new expression he hadn’t seen before, before stealing a light kiss from Kuroko’s stunned lips. “So you aren’t made of stone after all, eh?” he teased, stealing another kiss while he had the chance.

“I—” Kuroko wasn’t used to being caught off guard, since he was usually the one catching other people off guard. “This isn’t winning. You didn’t scare me. You just surprised me,” Kuroko finally said, after taking another moment to compose himself and wipe the surprise off his face, slipping out of Aomine’s arms.

But Aomine wasn’t listening. He was laughing, a look of pure joy on his face. “I’ve never seen that expression on you before,” he marveled. He didn’t care about the deal. That look had been so adorable.

“And you will never see it again,” Kuroko informed him flatly, trying to will the light blush off his face.

Aomine was just grinning unabashedly, now enjoying the blush extremely evident on Kuroko’s pale face. He pulled Kuroko back to him and kissed one cheek then went for the other one, except Kuroko ducked out of his grasp. This only increased Aomine’s laughter. He chased Kuroko through the room. He was faster and they both already knew it.

Kuroko ended up trapped in his arms once more and Aomine’s lips skimmed his neck gently as Kuroko refused to stay still long enough for a proper kiss. He struggled in Aomine’s arms, before giving up on that and simply hiding his face against Aomine’s chest. He was a _criminal_ damnnit! He should _not_ be blushing at a few stolen kisses and a little bit of surprise.

Aomine continued peppering kisses on the head burrowed against his chest until the Phantom reluctantly raised his head and Aomine finally claimed those lips. Pulling away slowly, heat filling his eyes, the detective trailed hot kisses from his neck back up to his lips before finally stopping and asking a question. “Are you sure I didn’t win a _little_ bit?”

Kuroko glared up at him, but the flush on his face kind of took the heat out of it. “I’m sure you didn’t win,” he told him.

Aomine frowned at the glare. Everything had been going so nicely. “I saw that face. And you most definitely froze when I held you,” he locked eyes with Kuroko, conveying his own determination, “I snuck up on you, fair and square.”

“But that wasn’t the deal. You were supposed to scare me.” Kuroko would also argue that a hug that surprised him was not ‘fair and square’ because you certainly wouldn’t get away with that move on the field.

“A scare is when you don’t expect something and react with either fear or shock. That was most definitely shock. And you’ve already admitted you didn’t expect it.”

“I’m certainly not scared right now though,” Kuroko informed him. “Nor was I then. You aren’t a very frightening person.”

“Oh come on, Tetsu,” he leaned down so their foreheads touched, knowing what happened to Testu when they were this close—hell, it happened to him too. “You know you’re just trying to deny it out of stubbornness.”

“I’m denying it because I’d like to live to pull a second heist,” Kuroko muttered, pulling back to establish some space between him and Aomine.

Aomine was deeply offended at that crack and he showed it on his face. “You _really_ think I’d let you die?” There was a fire in his eyes. Sure, they’d mostly messed around, but he felt _something_ for the stupidly stubborn man in front of him.

“Yes,” he responded flatly. “Because I think we would both be dead, so there wouldn’t be much you could do about it.”

Aomine was pissed. Sure, he’d said it before. It was the original argument they’d had. But that was before Aomine knew what Kuroko tasted like and how he showed his emotions through barely-there little movements of his forehead and eyes. He’d die and save Kuroko, sure. But no way would he let them both go down. “I would _never_ let you die,” he insisted, fiercely.

Kuroko felt the slightest flicker of remorse for phrasing it so harshly and upsetting Aomine, but that didn’t change that fact that what he said was true. “It’s not about _letting_ me do anything. There are two of us and a lot of them, and I’ll be much safer by myself in there.”

“You’ll also be much safer with someone watching your back. You can’t see everything all the time.”

“I won’t be safer if that someone watching my back makes a wrong move and we get caught.”

“Ah, yes, you’ll just be dead because you didn’t see the gun pointed at your back. I act with purpose. You can judge me based on a childish competition over jump scares playing house, but you’ve never seen me in the field. You forget I’m an experienced detective who’s been out in the field longer than you’ve been a thief.” Aomine was towering over Kuroko in his rage. “ _You’ve_ never conducted an operation in a room full of mobsters.”

Kuroko stood as tall as he could, which wasn’t much compared to Aomine, and still had to tilt his head up to look Aomine in the eyes. “I refuse to put both of us in danger for your pride as a detective, and your over confidence in your skill at something you have never done. You _stop_ this kind of mission. That is your experience in the field. Not actually doing it. I do not need protection. I have been breaking and entering for nearly a year and was only caught because of a mistake in paper work.”

Aomine refused to back down. Haizaki Shougo was no corporate man. He was a cold-hearted, ruthless man connected with the worst types of crime. Kuroko had no idea what he was messing with. “Do you know who Haizaki Shougo is? Do you know what these people are like? Are you really prepared to face that?”

“Of course I know who Haizaki is. Everyone and their dog knows who he is. He’s in the news every other month with some new charge against him that he’ll inevitably get out of. If all goes according to plan, I won’t have to face him at all. That’s the point. They call me the Phantom because I get in and out unseen. I can’t do that with you there at my side.” 

“Even the best laid plans can fall to ruin. The best thieves know that. Do you really believe you can escape a gun with you in its sights?” Before Kuroko even had a chance to process that, Aomine pulled out his own gun, thumbed off the safety, and pointed it between Kuroko’s eyes.

“Escape this.”


	7. Too Loud For Silence

_"Escape this."_ Aomine’s words seemed to echo in the room, bouncing off the tension that filled the air.

Kuroko’s eyes widened and his lips parted slightly with no sound coming out. So maybe he had been wrong about how soon Aomine would be able to see an expression of shock on his face.

He had to go a bit cross eyed to see the gun properly, and if the situation had been any different, if it were anything else he was trying to get his vision to focus on, it might have been cute. Instead, he considered taking back his words about Aomine not being a scary person, because the safety was off, and if Aomine’s finger so much as twitched on the trigger he would be brain matter on a wall.

“Aomine-kun, put the gun away,” Kuroko said in his most calm voice, hoping the emotion would carry and get Aomine into a reasonable state of mind. One that didn’t involve a gun in his face.

“Make me. This isn’t a game. This isn’t just messing around. Prove to me that you’re ready to take on the deadliest man in all of Japan.” Aomine’s gaze never left his target. He was a predator staring at his prey and he would not budge.

“Now. _Escape. This._ ”

Kuroko looked torn for a few seconds as he tried to think of a way out. “I... can’t,” he admitted reluctantly. “Maybe if I had a weapon, but I can’t move faster than a bullet. So, get it out of my face.”

Aomine held the gun there for a moment longer, then lowered it, thumbing the safety back on. Still, his intensity never lessened. He turned the gun around, offering it to Kuroko, handle first. “I can. Now aim for my heart.” Aomine stepped back, leaving the gun on the bed next to them when Kuroko didn't immediately take it, his tone never losing its steel. It wasn’t a request. It was an order.

“ _What?!_ No! I’m not pointing a gun at you,” Kuroko protested, stepping back to place more distance between himself and the gun.

“Pick it up, Tetsuya.” There was no hint of emotion in the word. It was the first time he’d ever used Kuroko’s full name, but it wasn’t teasing or loving. He was talking the way a general would when giving orders to a soldier.

“ _No_ ,” Kuroko firmly refused, taking another step away so that he was out of arm’s reach of it. He was a kindergarten teacher. A thief. He didn’t need weapons in either job. Certainly not lethal ones. He didn’t want to aim that at Aomine.

“The safety is on, Tetsuya.” Again, the use of his full name. Kuroko's legs felt weak. “Now pick up the gun and aim.”

For the first time since being around Aomine, Kuroko looked nervous. He hesitated, but then moved forward and picked up the gun, looking at the thing that had just been pointed at him, and that he was now supposed to aim at Aomine. Kuroko often thought that the detective seemed to forget that he was actually a criminal that he was playing house with, but right now, Kuroko was thinking that, while Aomine seemed very aware that he was a criminal, he seemed to be forgetting what kind of criminal. The most Kuroko had ever carried on him for defense was a pocket knife.

“If you don’t aim that gun right now, I’ll take the safety back off and you’ll do it that way.” Aomine knew what was stopping Kuroko. He also knew how to make him move.

A look of horror flashed across Kuroko’s face, but he quickly aimed the gun at Aomine to keep him from doing that, his hands shaking a bit as he stepped forward to ensure his aim.

Aomine stepped forward too, closing the distance even more until the muzzle of the gun was barely a hair’s breadth away from his chest.

“Now, what did I tell _you_ to do in this situation?”

“You told me to escape it." The words were quiet, forcibly pulled out of him by his desperation to keep the safety on.

“Speak up. _Order_ me.” His voice still hadn’t softened, and he didn’t seem aware of the trauma he was inflicting on the smaller man.

Kuroko summoned up any anger he could find left in him to force the order out and end the horrible experience sooner. “Escape it,” he gritted out.

Aomine didn’t bother responding. He whipped his arm out to grab Kuroko’s elbow in the same fluid motion as he ducked his body beneath the line of fire. As he continued moving his body so he positioned himself behind Kuroko, pressing his chest to the thief’s back, he tightened his grip on Kuroko’s elbow, enough to cause pain, but not enough to bruise—barely remembering to keep it light enough for Kuroko to be able to move later. Immediately after, Aomine clamped his other hand down on Kuroko’s left shoulder, opposite the right arm that had been holding the gun. He forced Kuroko’s right arm so he could pin it behind his back, twisting painfully enough for Kuroko to gasp and drop the gun, the weapon thudding to the ground, punctuating the end of the horrifying experience.

“I escaped.” Aomine’s voice was almost normal now.

“Aomine-san, please let go of me.” Kuroko’s voice was a far cry from its usual snark filled tone and wasn’t quite as loud as he had intended.

Aomine let go, stepping away and collecting his firearm from the floor.

“Figure me into the heist.” He left without another word.

Kuroko collapsed onto his bed. His hands stopped shaking after a few minutes, and it took a while for him to start thinking of anything other than the cold look in Aomine’s eyes, the gun aimed at him, or that he was forced to aim at Aomine—the feeling of it pressing against him, and the weight of it in his hands.

But he still couldn’t take Aomine in with him. That was too dangerous. And while Aomine could escape a gun just fine, that didn’t mean he could get Kuroko out of the way of one. And Kuroko wasn’t stupid. He knew, between the two of them, if they were caught, he was the hostage to get Aomine to drop his gun, because he was smaller and thus an easier target.

An idea finally occurred to him, and he took out a scrap of paper and started writing down what he would need. He wrote on the top of the paper "For your part in the plan." He couldn’t bring himself to do his usual smiley face at the end of the note like he normally would. He left that in the kitchen as he snuck out. He was getting a vanilla milkshake and Aomine would actually have to pull that trigger to stop him after what he just went through.

* * *

 

The list was an easy thing to take care of. He just passed it off to the department and informed them of his deadline. For the _not-_ so-department-issue tech, he sent word to Akashi to package it with whatever bits of information he was sending along next.

The problem was Kuroko.

Aomine didn’t regret anything— except maybe waiting so long to make his point and saving himself the heartache of going back to the beginning. But all that mattered was that the heist would continue and he had made a point that would last well past their first job. It was an important clarification, and, as much as it pained him, he wouldn’t doubt his decisions.

He was a detective, and he would do his job.

Still, that damn missing happy face was in the back of his mind.

* * *

 

“One milkshake, please.” Kuroko said to a worker when he reached the cafe.

“Kuro-chin~~” Murasakibara called, appearing from the kitchens at the sound of his friend’s voice.

Kuroko forced a smile for Murasakibara. “Hello, Murasakibara-kun,” he greeted.

Murasakibara moved around the counter at the strained smile. “That looks painful, Kuro-chin,” he commented, leading the way to a table in the corner of the cafe.

“What does?” Kuroko asked, following him to the table and taking the seat across from the purple haired man, even though he hadn’t gotten his milkshake yet, and he usually waited for that before taking a seat.

“You’re not stupid, Kuroko.” Murasakibara called him on it, dropping the nickname to convey his seriousness.

Kuroko sighed. “I don’t know about that. I think I’ve been doing something stupid for the past few weeks.”

The other man hummed in thought before beckoning a worker over and detailing an order to him. The man disappeared into the back. “We’ll need serious treats then,” Murasakibara explained. He leaned back so he wasn’t so much taller than Kuroko, a gesture he knew was a bit comforting, even if it wasn’t very successful in shortening the gap. “Did you do something or did the idiot do it?”

“Both, I guess,” Kuroko said with a shrug. “I don’t know, maybe it was just me.”

“Nah. Cops are always too nosy for their own good. He at least did something.”

Kuroko looked up at Murasakibara, finally making eye contact. “I never told you that he was a cop,” Kuroko said with a frown.

Murasakibara held up a hand to silence him, seeing the worker returning from the back room, a full tray in hand. “Vanilla cheesecake, vanilla cupcakes, vanilla cream puffs, and chocolate eclairs?” Murasakibara nodded, “And?”

“The first shake will be out soon. I told them two more are reserved.”

Another nod from Murasakibara. “No one sits near us. It’s late, we shouldn’t get too many people.” He waved the boy away then turned back to Kuroko, waiting until there was no one in ear shot before responding to the thief’s earlier question. “It was a hunch,” he paused, picking up an eclair, “You never told me you were a thief either. I figure some things out on my own, Kuro-chin.”

Kuroko’s smile was a bit less forced this time. “It would certainly seem so,” he said, taking a small bite of one of the vanilla cupcakes. “I messed up. I started liking him, and then tonight, we had a huge fight and he took out his gun.”

Murasakibara eyed Kuroko interestedly, “He shot you? Wow, Kuro-chin, so strong if you didn’t go to the hospital.” He didn’t seem to register the more important part of Kuroko’s words.

“He didn’t _shoot_ me.” Kuroko shook his head. “But he certainly acted like he might. He turned off the safety and aimed it at my head. And then he made me aim it at him.” His hands were shaking again. He put the cake down to hide them under the table.

In placing the plate down, Kuroko missed the ominous expression on Murasakibara’s face at the obvious trembling of his hands. But when he looked up, Murasakibara seemed as impassive as always. “What scared you more?” It seemed only a second longer than any ordinary breath, but the pause between that question and the next seemed endless to Kuroko. “Having the gun pointed at you, or holding it yourself?” He asked it directly and unflinchingly, every word seeming to carry an immense weight. He was Kuroko’s friend. And sometimes friends forced you to look at things you’d rather forget.

Kuroko had to think about it. The whole situation had been terrifying. He’d let his guard down. He’d become comfortable with Aomine, more than comfortable, and he’d been completely unprepared for this situation. But even though the safety had been on when he’d held the gun, that had been immensely more terrifying than when it was pointed at him, because no matter how dead serious Aomine had looked, Kuroko had known that he wouldn’t shoot him. “Holding it. Holding it was worse,” he said, looking down at the table.

Murasakibara paused to let that sink in, still munching on his eclair. He waved over an employee bearing Kuroko’s milkshake—a girl this time—then promptly shooed her away. Kuroko never raised his head. Murasakibara hadn’t asked for himself. He’d asked for Kuroko.

“Go home then.”

“I can’t. I’d probably be arrested if I don’t report back to Aomine-san soon. I—”

Murasakibara shook his head, interrupting Kuroko before he could continue his pity party. “Not that home. The new place you’re staying at. Go back, Kuro-chin.”

“So eager to get rid of me already?” Kuroko asked, a slight edge of teasing to his tone, before taking a sip of the milkshake.

“Y’know, Mido-chin has a word for that…” he took another bite of his eclair, searching for the term.

“Midorima-kun has a word for everything. He’s a know it all,” Kuroko replied.

“Eh? That’s true. Mido-chin knows lots of words~~” he paused again, still searching, “...ah! ‘Deflection’. He says people say stuff to make you stop talking about other stuff.” More chewing, then, “Like how you used to play basketball.”

“Deflection and misdirection are very similar,” Kuroko agreed. “But I was more making a joke than deflecting. I’m trying to get back to normal before I go back like you suggested.”

Murasakibara rejected that with a fierce “No” and another shake of his head. “Go home now. Idiots think too much. He’s probably a crybaby. What if he’s crying, Kuro-chin? You have to go comfort him~~~”

“I doubt he’s crying,” Kuroko said. He privately thought that Aomine would deserve it a little bit if he was, because Kuroko had been fighting tears since the moment Aomine told him to pick up the gun and aim it at him.

He did get to his feet though. “Can I at least take this with me?” he asked, picking up the shake.

“Are you going home?” Murasakibara motioned over a worker and asked for a few boxes.

Kuroko nodded. “Yeah. All my stuff is there, and I don’t feel like getting arrested.” Kuroko said. “And I don’t need any boxes. You don’t have to feed me.” He added.  

“Hah? But Kuro-chin has to try the cheesecake. It’s a new recipe.” He eyed the other sweets as he responded, deciding. “I can eat everything else if you want~~”

Kuroko smiled at him and nodded. “Alright, I’ll take the cheesecake, but you enjoy the rest of it,” Kuroko agreed as the boxes arrived.

They waved goodbye after packing the cheesecake and an extra milkshake to go.

Kuroko did decide to go back to the apartment, but he took the long way there to avoid it for as long as he could. By the time he got there, he’d finished off both milkshakes and thrown away the empty cups.

* * *

 

Aomine was watching the TV when Kuroko came home. He never heard the sound of the door, or any footsteps—even when the ghost tried to sneak past Aomine without him noticing. He did notice the shadow on the wall, though and turned around just as Kuroko was about to pass by.

They stared in silence for a bit before Aomine broke the staring contest, “Didn’t think you were coming home.” He settled back down onto the couch, breaking eye contact. “Glad you did.”

“I didn’t feel like getting arrested,” Kuroko replied. As soon as the eye contact was broken, he kept walking and went into his room, closing the door behind him.

When he changed for bed, even though he doubted that he would be getting much sleep, he put on his own clothes only before getting under the covers, trying to block out thoughts of what had transpired in this room a few hours ago.

He recognized Aomine’s footfalls outside the room and saw the shadow through the crack beneath the door, but turned away, hoping to feign sleep. Aomine cracked open the door as quietly as he was able then closed it, apparently satisfied with a small glance from the doorway.

A few minutes later, Aomine returned to Tetsu’s bedroom and slipped a note under the door before heading to bed himself.

_I’m not sorry. But I wouldn’t let you get arrested._


	8. Stalemate

Kuroko did get a little sleep—but it was restless. He tossed and turned and woke up gasping for air several times before morning came—at one point he’d had to wipe away tears—and when he saw the sun he decided to get out of bed. He noticed the note on the floor, and, after reading it, placed it on his dresser until he could think of something else to do with it.

He went to the kitchen, hoping that Aomine was still sleeping so that he could avoid him.

Apparently avoiding him wasn’t an option, though it appeared there were other things on the detective’s mind. “Um… why is there a cheesecake in our fridge? And why does it have a random hole in it…?” Aomine produced the cake in question that did indeed have a hole. It was completely random, neither in the center or on the edge, and big enough for it to be obvious at first glance.

“Murasakibara-kun gave it to me. Apparently it’s a new recipe. He probably took a spoonful of it while we were talking. I didn’t notice,” Kuroko guessed. He leaned around Aomine and got out an egg to boil it for breakfast.

Aomine gently took the egg from Kuroko and put it back. “I already made breakfast,” he informed him, indicating the table in the kitchen, already filled with platefuls of… egg? with bits of other things scrambled in. Aomine rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I’m, uh, not the greatest cook so I kinda just chopped up whatever vegetables were in the fridge and added some bacon and eggs…” he trailed off awkwardly, searching for more words to fill the silence. “Um, I haven’t tasted it yet because I got kinda distracted by the cake in the fridge, but it should be fine… I think.”

Kuroko was a bit concerned, but he’d survived that time Momoi brought him lunch at the station. (Aomine hadn’t liked him yet, so he’d gotten no warning.) He could eat... whatever mess Aomine had made. “Thank you, Aomine-san,” Kuroko said, walking over to the table and filling a plate before he started to eat.

They ate in more silence, Aomine too mentally exhausted from his efforts earlier to attempt any more stilted conversation. When they’d finished, Aomine sighed and made to clear the empty dishes but paused before touching Kuroko’s, unsure.

Kuroko picked up his own plate and took it to the sink, washing it silently.

Aomine was pretty sure he would implode soon from the weight of all the tension between them, but he stuck it out and worked right beside Tetsu. He had dishes to wash too, damnit. He could take the tension and being ignored. He could take it. He could totally….. no, he really couldn’t. “It was necessary, and I won’t apologize for it,” he grumbled. “I did it for your safety.”

Kuroko glanced at him, but didn’t reply. He understood that, but that didn’t make it any better. And the message probably could have been sent in a different way. He finished his dish and put it away. “I’m going back to planning. When I’ve got it fully developed, I’ll give you your part,” Kuroko told him, before walking into the living room, sitting on the couch with the binder he’d been using for storing information and planning, taking out a pen and starting to write.

“Look, I get that you’re mad, and maybe there could have been better ways to get the point across. But would anything else have been as effective?” Aomine quickly put his dish away and followed Kuroko out of the room.

“For getting you on the mission without going in? Yes. You could have asked for a way to join without being there in person,” Kuroko said, not looking up from the notes he was writing. “You understand that I’m not backing down on that, right? You can’t come in with me. That list is a way to compromise.”

Aomine sighed. Why was this guy so hard-headed? “I'll be on site _somewhere_ , yes?”

“Yeah, parking lot,” Kuroko said, closing the binder. “Your job is to sit in a van and do surveillance through the video feed that I’m going to send to you and tell me if anyone is coming around a corner or something. Anything I can’t see. But you will not be in that building.”

Aomine took that in, processed it, and chose the response with the least amount of anger. "You want me to be the security guy that basically sits at the desk and is useless?"

Anger sparked in Kuroko’s eyes as well. “No. I want you to be sitting _here_ where you’re safe. Since that’s not going to happen, I’m telling you to be my eyes on the rest of the building in case I miss something you don’t. Your gun display doesn’t change the fact that you will get us caught if you are with me.”

"Alright, fine. It did change the fact that you let me anywhere on the premises though. And I'm holding you to that. That means I always know your plan— _everything_. I want to know where you'll be and when you'll be there so that, _if_ ," Aomine made sure the "if" was very clear so as to avoid another argument, "you need me, I don't need to worry about finding you first."

Kuroko tossed the binder to him, thick with papers full of sketches and plans. “Read up then.”

Aomine read through the notes, then kept reading... and read some more. The binder didn't just look big—it was chock full of plans. There were blueprints printed a dozen times, each mapping out a different series of escape routes, schematics for individual lock tumblers, schedules for every single name Akashi had sent in those goddamn emails... Aomine was impressed—and beyond relieved. He had been more worried than he cared to admit even to himself.

“You said plans can go wrong. Please try not to think so low of me as to assume that I don’t know that,” Kuroko told him.

Aomine was silent, partly because he was still marveling at the complexity of Kuroko's plans. "Alright, fine. I'm sorry that you ever thought I doubted your ability as a thief," he plowed on before Kuroko got the wrong idea. "I'm still not sorry for what I did though. You need to learn what you're going up against.”

“I’m not going up against _you_ ,” Kuroko said vehemently.

"No, you're right," Aomine agreed. "You're going up against things worse than me."

“I wouldn’t say that.” After all, the worst part had been having to aim a gun at Aomine. Not the gun being aimed at him.

Aomine looked at Kuroko, trying to see into his mind. "There's always something worse, even if you can't believe it now." The words were almost a whisper.

“I’ll take my chances.” Kuroko turned to face the television, clicked it on and raised the volume to indicate that he was done with this conversation.

Aomine watched Kuroko sitting there, wondering if he could take his chances right now and live. If he didn't, he knew he would definitely have regrets about it though.

He walked up to Kuroko and kissed the top of his head, already backing away as he promised, "You'll never have to point another gun at me." He was out of the room before Kuroko could reply.

Kuroko could have told him that. If Aomine ever tried to get him to do that again, he was going to regret it, but he hadn’t been expecting the kiss. He grit his teeth and pushed aside the impulse to go after him, keeping his eyes on the TV. Aomine was still far from forgiven.

* * *

 

As much as Aomine wanted to sit down to continue working out their unresolved issues, he still had work to do. He had meet-ups and phone calls and reports to leave at designated drop points to update the department. But perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. They both needed to figure out their own thoughts, and some time apart was probably good, considering the gravity of the conversation they'd had that morning.

Kuroko planned and replanned. He made sure every detail was accounted for. The binder just continued to get bigger as he made more sketches or notes and labelings on blueprints. He made sure he had every detail accounted for, and shot emails back and forth with Akashi for any scraps of information Akashi could get him and any questions he had.

* * *

 

There were two more days of prep after this one and Aomine figured it was about time he and Kuroko started planing together. He managed to carve out a period of time where he could help Kuroko, planning to analyze documents or... whatever it was thieves did.

After about forty-five minutes, Kuroko was going crazy. His voice was strained with the effort to keep calm as he finally said, “Aomine-kun, you catch thieves. You do not know how to be one. You are getting in my way. Please leave.”

Aomine protested with what he felt was a compelling argument, but what really rehashed the same idea that “we’re partners” and “you agreed to let me help” about twenty different ways. There had been a few unfinished thoughts thrown in too. Kuroko didn't seem compelled.

“Aomine-kun. Get out,” he ordered flatly.

He opened his mouth to—

“No. Out.” He pointed at the door.

Aomine pouted but hung his head, hoping to garner a little sympathy. A discreet glance at the Phantom told him he got squat. He was just about through the door before he remembered something he forgot. He raced back to Testu and pressed a chaste kiss to the back of his neck while he was pouring over his blueprints. "Okay, I'm gone!" He headed back out the room.

Kuroko tensed in surprise. Apparently the way to catch him off guard was unexpected affection.

As he was reveling in his surprise attack, he had a moment of realization. Kuroko had dropped the "-san". Aomine grinned. It was a double victory.

* * *

 

Kuroko hadn’t even let Aomine _in_ the van as he set it up. He’d barely tolerated him standing right outside of it watching and passing Kuroko boxes. “The next box, please,” Kuroko said, returning to the open back doors of the van and holding out his arms.

Aomine handed him the next box, grumbling small complaints about being treated like a kid. “Y’know, I can help too.” He pouted.

Kuroko smiled pleasantly at him, the same way he would have if he were talking to one of his students. “Of course you can help. You’re passing me boxes, which is very helpful. It saves lots of time,” Kuroko told him, moving back into the van to start installing the tech in the box.

“Teeeetsuuu,” he whined. This was not how he wanted to be helping. He was a grown-ass man! He could install some computers and screens to a van. How hard could it be?

“Yes, Aomine-kun?” Kuroko asked absentmindedly as he worked.

“Lemme heeeeellp~” If Kuroko wasn’t busy with stuff and squished inside a van he probably would’ve been clinging onto him.

“No.” Kuroko didn’t even hesitate to answer, barely sparing Aomine a glance as he narrowed his eyes in concentration.

“At least let me do _something._ I don’t want to just sit here and watch you do stuff.”

“Too bad. The last box, please.” He moved back to the doors again, holding out his arms.

Aomine gave him a slightly confused look, before realizing that he was sitting on the box. “Oh, here.” He handed it to Kuroko and watched as he unpacked it.

Kuroko finished up and gestured for Aomine to come inside. “Come on, I need to teach you how to use this stuff.” 

He entered the van to see it completely teched out. It looked like it had come out of a spy movie. There were four screens inside with a large keyboard in front of them. On the desk that held the keyboard were various mic sets and headsets. Aomine had to admit: he was impressed— but he was still a little upset about not being able to help set it up.

Kuroko started telling him how to do different things, keeping Aomine in the van for a few hours to make sure he knew everything, and even then still leaving detailed instructions on the desk, before he finally agreed that they could go back inside the apartment.

* * *

 

Aomine had a small suspicion that Kuroko still didn’t really trust him with his part in the mission. Okay, maybe not small, maybe a pretty big suspicion, but he wasn’t going to mention it. Actually, he was pretty sure Kuroko didn’t trust him at all recently, probably still hung up over the gun incident. He decided to try and broach the subject again before they had to go into the field. They couldn’t work together like this. “Tetsu, can we talk? Please.”

Kuroko would have liked to say no, because he could guess what Aomine wanted to talk about, but couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say that he couldn’t talk. It was hard to claim to be busy when someone could see that you were watching TV instead of doing anything important. “Okay,” he agreed uncertainly.

Aomine was a bit hesitant but decided it was now or never, “About the gun incident. I know it really got to you, but I’m still not going to apologize. I still think it was necessary, but I'll make it up to you. Just tell me how.”

Kuroko considered it, before shrugging, looking away from Aomine. “I don’t know. I’m mostly trying to not think about it. This conversation isn’t really helping with that.”

“But we need to settle this. We can’t work together if you’re constantly angry at me.”

“I’m not angry,” Kuroko said, and it wasn’t exactly a lie. He wasn’t mad at Aomine for what he did anymore, but that didn’t mean he was okay with it.

“Then look at me.” Aomine placed a hand on Kuroko’s shoulder, hoping the other man would turn around.

Kuroko frowned, but looked up at Aomine, reluctantly making eye contact. “Okay. Now what?”

“Now tell me that I can make it up to you somehow and that you’ll forgive me.” Aomine gave him a hopeful look.

“I told you, I don’t have a way for you to make it up to me. I’m just trying to forget about it. I’ll forgive you, it would suck to have to live with you if I couldn’t do that, but it’s not happening overnight.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s been longer than one night. I’m asking for tonight because I don’t think we should go in tomorrow with you still giving me the cold shoulder.”

“It won’t affect my performance, so don’t worry about it,” Kuroko assured before breaking eye contact, hoping that was the end of the conversation.

“Tetsu. Please. Can you at least tell me why you’re still hung up about it?”

There was a subtle shift in Kuroko’s facial features to give away that the question had hit him the wrong way. His jaw muscles tightened when he clenched his teeth and his eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you serious?” He turned to face Aomine, and upon seeing that he was, something in him seemed to snap. “You pointed a gun at me. With the safety off. If you had slipped even a little bit I would be dead. And then you made me point a gun at _you_. You almost made me do that with the safety off, and with the way my hands were shaking, I might have actually killed you if I had done that! I was starting to like you, and then you make me point a lethal weapon at you after doing it to me. I could feel the gun touching me. And I don’t understand how you can do that to me and be okay with it, because I sure as hell am not okay with doing it to you! So, whatever it is you think you’re doing with me here, I’m not amused by it because I actually care. That is why I am still so ‘hung up about it’ as you phrased it. Because I started to care about you, I started to trust you, and you did that.”

“I told you to do it because I care too. I don’t want you going into such a deadly situation by yourse—”

“I’m still going by myself! Your gun stunt did nothing to convince me that you should be in that building with me,” Kuroko interrupted.

“But at least now I can get there in time if something does happen. I’ll be damned before I find out that you died through Akashi and I couldn’t do anything about it!”

“You’re going to run from the parking lot to me faster than a bullet?” Kuroko asked, arching an eyebrow. “And I could have come up with that without waving a gun in your face, or you doing it to me. That did nothing to change my thoughts about how to go about the mission. That changed my thoughts about _you_.”

“The minute the mission goes south I’ll be there to bail you out. That’s what I wanted. If your opinion about me has changed then that’s fine I guess, but at least I can try to keep you alive.” He was lying about it being fine, but he wasn’t going to admit that. Not right now.

“I could have come up with that idea if you had budged on being by my side before. In fact, if you look through the binder, I was already trying to come up with ways to incorporate you without you being right next to me. What you wanted was to go in with me. That wasn’t and isn’t going to happen. This is the next best thing, but you didn’t have to do that to gain it.”

“I still want to be there next to you, to save you if things go wrong. But you obviously don’t want that—that’s why I’m trying to accept the current plan and make the best with what I’ve got. I want to still be there. I can take a bullet. I have before. Can you?”

Kuroko glared at him at the question. “I can take care of myself. And while I haven’t had an experience in taking bullets, I’d like to think that I can. I’m hoping to never find out. That’s why I wrote so many plans and memorized every escape route. I can map out every bit of that building by heart by now from staring at it for so long.”

Aomine growled. This was not how he had imagined this talk going, “I don’t want to take that chance.”

“Then don’t aim your own gun at me!” Kuroko shouted.

“I was never going to actually shoot you! I don’t actually want you hurt!”

Kuroko knew that, he really did, but he was angry. “Then what was the _point?_ As far as I’ve ever heard, you only aim your gun at something you mean to shoot. And you certainly don’t take the safety off when you’re aiming it at a person. Do you want to know why I picked up that gun and aimed it at you?”

“Why?” Aomine had a heavy feeling at the bottom of his gut.

“Because if I didn’t do it right then, while the safety was still on, I could have shot you. Do you understand how terrifying the idea of aiming that thing at you at all was, considering the fact that I care about you?! My hands were still shaking after I left the apartment. They are shaking right now.” He held one up to show Aomine the slight trembles. “All at the mere idea that I could have hurt _you_. That’s why I picked up that gun. Not because I was interested in seeing you escape it, but because I was interested in making sure that it wouldn’t fire. Because then you would be hurt or dead and it would be my fault.” He had stopped shouting, but there were tears in his eyes as he glared up at Aomine.

Aomine felt his anger fade and his face soften. Oh. Maybe telling Tetsu to point a gun at him hadn’t been the best idea. He knew he wouldn’t have shot Tetsu, he was used to holding a gun. But Tetsu was just a thief—he’d never been faced with a situation where he could potentially kill someone. He wanted to tell Tetsu that he felt the same way, that if Tetsu got hurt during the mission and he wasn’t able to get to him in time he would feel the same fear and anger, but he froze at the sight of Tetsu’s tears. The words got caught in his throat. There was no way he could make things better at this point, at least not tonight as he’d hoped. He tried to reach out to him but faltered. Could he really touch him now?

Kuroko waited for a response, and when he didn’t get one he got to his feet and walked past Aomine, going to his room and closing the door behind him.

He’d really fucked up now. He sighed and collapsed onto the couch Kuroko had just vacated. It was still warm. He laughed bitterly at that. It was ironic compared to how cold he felt.

* * *

 

The next morning, Kuroko got up and acted like nothing had happened. He couldn’t think about it. They had a job to do today. He got up and made breakfast, before taking a shower and changing into his clothes for the day—muted colors that helped keep him from being memorable. He’d been texting Akashi all morning, finalizing everything down to how the weather could affect things.

Aomine had ended up falling asleep on the couch. He woke up from the noise coming from the kitchen and decided to try a shower before Tetsu would. He didn’t think seeing him right now would be the best idea. Kuroko may have been able to keep his composure and act like nothing happened, but he definitely couldn’t.

Eventually Akashi showed up at their place. “Phantom-san!” he greeted cheerfully when Kuroko opened the door. “Where’s Daiki?” he added, looking around.

Kuroko shrugged. “I think he’s in his room.”

Kuroko could practically see the gears turning in Akashi’s head. “Did something happen?” he asked.

Kuroko shook his head. “No, I just didn’t get much sleep last night. Excited for the mission and all,” Kuroko lied. His excitement had been taken from him, but hopefully he’d get it back when he actually got into the building. The job had no purpose if he couldn’t still have fun with it.

Akashi didn’t look convinced, but chose not to say anything about it. “Daiki?” he called into the apartment.

Aomine emerged from his room, hair slightly messy from laying down. If Akashi was here, that meant they had to get going soon and he could no longer avoid Tetsu. “Akashi,” he greeted. “Hold on. I’ll just grab a few things and we can go.” His voice was solemn.

Kuroko nodded while Akashi dismissed Aomine. The mob boss explored their apartment as he waited. “It’s better than I thought it would be, considering the department is paying,” Akashi observed.

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’d still like to be able to go back to my own place.” It was pointless small talk, but it did the job of filling the silence until Aomine was ready.

“I’ll be waiting here for the two of you. I’ve got an alliance with Haizaki, so I can’t be seen being involved in this if things go south. I’ll be listening in on the headsets and watching from my computer though.” Akashi informed them as Kuroko opened the door to step out and head for the van.

Aomine grabbed his gun, staring at it a few seconds before shoving it in its holster. He could feel like an ass later—right now he had a job to do. He didn’t have time to feel guilty today. Not if he wanted to do his job right.

Kuroko got into the driver's seat in the van, waiting for Aomine to come out.

Aomine left the apartment and stared at Kuroko through the van window. “What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you. Let’s go,” he replied, motioning at the passenger seat.

“I’m driving. Move over.”

Kuroko frowned. “No. Why are you driving? The plans say that I drive.”

“Because I’m gonna be stuck in the car for a majority of the time, so I should drive.”

“You’re going to be stuck in the back of the car. If I have to get out of there quickly, I’m not wasting time adjusting the seat to be able to reach the pedals or waiting for you to move to the driver's seat.”

“I’m gonna be seeing everything. It’d be faster for me to move to the front seat.”

“I have all of the streets around this area memorized. Besides, you have to stay back there and make sure no one is chasing after me as I’m leaving.”

“Tch. Fine.” Aomine begrudgingly settled into the passenger seat.

As soon as Aomine was buckled in, Kuroko started the car and headed to the scene. He would normally park at least two streets away, but Aomine wanted to be on the premises. He parked as far away from the building as he could while still being in the parking lot, before stepping out and going to the back, getting out his computer and working on the video feed.

Aomine climbed into the back of the van and plopped himself onto the small stool Tetsu had put in front of the monitors. He booted up the screens and handed Tetsu his headset.

Kuroko wordlessly took the headset, using one hand to put it on while the other continued flying across the keyboard. He let himself get absorbed in it. Let himself feel the thrill of the challenge. Haizaki was harder to hack than even the police station. He could feel the corners of his lips twitching upward as he worked his way through the security, being sure to not leave any traces.

Aomine watched as the security camera footage started showing up on his screen with every little thing that Kuroko entered into his laptop. He set up his mic and put on his headset.

“Testing. Can both of you hear me?” Kuroko asked into his headset as his eyes flicked over the screen, a grin finally coming to his face when had every electrical appliance in the building under his control.

“I’m good. You, Akashi?” Aomine spoke into the mic.

“I can hear you both loud and clear.” Akashi’s voice came through crisp and clear as well. “You’re thirty seconds ahead of schedule, Phantom-san. Congratulations,” he added.

“Not thirty seconds late? Hm, I thought it was taking longer since it was harder. I guess I got a bit excited,” Kuroko admitted, glancing at his watch, before rising to his feet to leave the van.

“Tetsu.” Aomine stopped him before he was completely out of the van. “Be careful.” The fight lingered in the back of his mind. He still wanted Kuroko to came back unscathed.

Kuroko’s excited smile dimmed when he heard his name, but he gave Aomine a nod. “I will be. Thank you," he said before stepping out and moving across the parking lot.


	9. Giving in and Taking Chances

He made sure his movements were quiet and choreographed to avoid attention as he found his entrance and went inside.

Kuroko’s words gave Aomine no comfort. He tried to settle onto his seat as comfortably as he could and check out the security in the building. It was decently guarded for the time of day. He watched as Kuroko snuck past a few people unseen and continued towards the entrance. At least he was still as invisible as ever.

Kuroko flitted past the guards like a shadow and made his way inside, grin coming back full force. He was in his comfort zone. He didn’t have to think about Aomine, because his whole focus was on the job. He was a criminal. He was unseen. He felt alive. He made his way through hallways with ease, avoiding the sight of any and all guards, excitement growing the more he had to work at staying invisible. The more he was challenged the better.  

Aomine was... impressed. He supposed he shouldn’t have been so surprised by Kuroko’s talent, considering how long he'd evaded arrest, but seeing it in action made him see him in a whole new light. Maybe he didn’t have to worry too much after all.

It was getting to the drugs that would be the hard part. He’d have to pick locks and not be seen while doing it. He had the same expression as when he’d first gotten the case: as if Christmas had come early.

He pressed himself close to the wall and made his way towards the room in which the drugs were being kept. He ducked and dodged to avoid being seen any time someone turned their heads, and reached the lock. Kuroko pulled out a lockpick and made quick work of it, getting inside and quietly closing the door behind him.

As he looked over the different drugs he remembered the crash course on drugs that Akashi had given him and walked over to the one he was after. Apparently Molly was what was hot on the market lately. He stuffed the requested amount into his bag, and —because old habits die hard— he also grabbed a jacket with Haizaki’s symbol on it. It probably belonged to one of the workers. He could slip it onto a Forever 21 mannequin later. He stuck his sticky note with the smiley face on the spot where the jacket had been.

“ _Phantom-san._ ” Akashi’s voice came through the headset. “ _Is it really necessary?”_

_“You don't need the jacket. Put it back. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t match your eyes,” Aomine threw in._

Kuroko ignored them both, shoving the jacket into his bag, before making his way out, taking a different door than the one he'd used to enter.

His escape was almost easier than his entrance. He made it out of the building only having to avoid a few guards on his way out. He went slowly back to the van, making sure he wasn’t being followed, before getting into the driver’s seat. “I think you’ll be safe coming up front,” he said into his headset for Aomine.

Aomine gave him an exasperated stare. “Did you _really_ need the jacket? You could've just left it," he complained, buckling himself into the passenger seat as Kuroko started to drive away.

“I needed it. Can we stop by a Forever 21 on the way home?”

Kuroko could hear Akashi laughing at them through his headset.

“Wha-NO! Why do we need to go to Forever 21!? We are not making a pit stop just so you can complete your outfit!”

Akashi laughed again at Aomine’s reaction. “ _I see that Phantom-san hasn’t changed a bit. You even left your sticky note where the real target was._ ”

“Ugh! Do whatever the hell you want! I give up!” Aomine rubbed his face in resignation.

Kuroko nodded. He wondered if Forever 21 even existed outside of malls. He decided not to find out, since he knew where the mall was. He walked in, headset still on since he had no plans of being noticed, and made his way to the store after checking a map of the mall. He deposited the jacket and went back to the car... only to find Aomine in the driver's seat. “You're a petty man,” Kuroko decided, getting into shotgun.

“Takes one to know one. Let’s go home.” Aomine backed out of the parking lot and headed for their apartment.

Kuroko didn’t argue like he usually would have. The heist was over and the excitement was fading. He was coming back to his everyday self, which meant he couldn’t so easily forget about his fight with Aomine the night before.

“ _I’ll leave the apartment to the two of you then. Congratulations on your first successful mission. Do try to not be mad at each other on the next one._ ” And then Akashi’s headset clicked off, indicating he was done talking to them.  

Aomine removed his headset and placed it on the dash. The drive back was pretty short. He pulled up to their apartment, dreading the silence. He was either going to talk to Kuroko about the fight tonight or was going to be given the silent treatment again. As much as he hated fighting, they had to settle their problems. He waited until they were both inside the apartment and followed Kuroko to his room. “Tetsu. Look, I’m sorry I made you hold the gun. But I won’t apologize for everything. I’m not sorry for taking off the safety and I’m not sorry for scaring you. You needed to be scared. You needed to learn a little fear.”

Kuroko looked up from the drawer he’d been going through. He was starting to run low on his own shirts since he’d been wearing them since the fight, and he really hadn’t brought many since he kept on stealing Aomine’s before.

He frowned at Aomine. “Just last night you opened with telling me that you that weren’t sorry.”

Aomine unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck,“Well, I didn’t realize you were so damn stubborn. Besides, this is a sort of compromise. I apologized for half of it.”

“Because I’m stubborn?” Kuroko asked, folding his arms over his chest. “Not because you’re actually sorry about it?”

“I am sorry. I thought about it and that was definitely a little harsh. And I went overboard. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry that I made you do that. I realize now that I’ve held a gun before and I knew I wouldn’t shoot you, but that you haven’t.” He decided to be extra safe and added another sorry for good measure. “I’m really sorry.”

“And when exactly in my life did you think I would have been using guns?”

“You never know. Dangerous situations call for equally dangerous countermeasures. But I’m still sorry, regardless.”

Kuroko considered it before nodding and taking out a shirt of Aomine’s from his dresser. That at least made his clothes problem go away without a laundry machine being involved. “I accept your apology.” He was still shaken by the experience, but he couldn’t stay mad at Aomine forever if Aomine was actually apologizing to him. He started changing into that and his pajama pants. “Did today at least prove to you that I’m good enough at what I do?” Kuroko asked.

Aomine tried to ignore the distracting fact that Kuroko was stripping in front of him. “Yes. You did. I’m actually pretty impressed. I can see how you got your name.”

Kuroko offered him a tiny smile. “Thank you. It felt weird knowing you two could see me, but other than that it was nice to get back to the job.”

Aomine hummed. “Well, I’m glad we finally have that settled. It’s been a long day, so we should both get some sleep.” Before going back to his own room he gave Kuroko a quick kiss on his temple and one last murmured apology.

Kuroko felt his face flush. In the back of his mind it occurred to him that Aomine made him blush more in a few weeks than he probably had in the last year. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that revelation.

Noticing Kuroko’s blush, he blushed in response. _Who allowed this man to be so damn cute? It should not be allowed._ He walked back over to Kuroko to give him one more peck on the lips before finally leaving the room.

Maybe if they hadn’t just started to recover from a fight Kuroko might have gone after him. Instead, he just touched his fingers to where Aomine’s lips had been and tried to will the blush away before moving into bed, hiding from the world under the covers.

Aomine flopped onto his own bed the minute he got to his room. He tried his best to fall asleep, but every time he closed his eyes, he would see Tetsu’s adorable blushing face. He wasn't going to sleep well that night.

* * *

 

Haizaki crumpled the stupid note smiling at him in his fist. “Phantom, right? That’s what people are calling the asshole that took ten pounds of Molly from me?”

One of his employees nodded.

“And you _let him in_?” Haizaki asked, letting a bullet fly, hitting the man’s leg. When he'd finished screaming, Haizaki repeated the question.

“No! He just got in! No one saw him!”

Another shot--this time to the arm.

“Well, you’ll be seeing him soon.” Haizaki raised his gun and shot the man in the head, licking the warm metal before putting it down. “He’ll be just as dead as you are as soon as I get my hands on him.” He then turned to the other workers who had been on duty when the Phantom got in. “Now, who’s next?” he asked, holding up the gun.

* * *

 

Kuroko was looking through files while drinking coffee the next morning, sifting through the job offers for the most interesting ones.

Aomine tiredly strolled into the kitchen with a yawn. He’d been right. He really hadn’t gotten any sleep. He poured himself a cup of coffee and turned to Kuroko. “Anything for breakfast? Or do you want me to make it?”

“Can you? I’m still looking through these. They’ve piled up while we’ve been planning the hit on Haizaki. I’m going to have to go out at least once a week to try and do anything even remotely close to catching up. Probably three times a week though,” he said, not taking his eyes off the folders spread across their table.

“Can you plan things that fast? Haizaki was one thing, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful with the other hits too.” He took a sip of his coffee and rummaged through the fridge to see what he could make.

“I can. It’s not that hard. My very first hit was just a whim. I heard that they were saying no one could break in, and I wondered if I could. I only started planning after that. I got pretty good at doing fast plans trying to get ready to break into your station,” Kuroko told him.

Aomine grabbed the milk and cereal and brought it over to where Kuroko was working. “A whim? That’s not exactly why most people would start on a life of crime. Although, I guess I can’t say I’m that surprised. As long as you manage to plan things out, I guess it’s fine.” He dropped the food onto the table and went back to the kitchen to grab some bowls and spoons.

“I wouldn’t say that my life of crime is exactly normal either,” Kuroko commented absentmindedly, moving onto another file. He wanted interesting. Criminals generally weren’t. Kuroko wondered if Aomine had taken dangerous ones out of the stack that morning. It wouldn’t surprise him, since he’d wanted Akashi to do that when the Haizaki case came in.

“I guess.” Aomine shrugged. He sat down across from Kuroko and poured himself some cereal, waiting for Kuroko to do the same. “Are you gonna eat?”

“Hm? Yeah, of course,” Kuroko muttered, flipping through the file and taking another sip of coffee.

Aomine eyed him. “You sure? ‘Cause it doesn’t look like you are.”

Kuroko just nodded in agreement, clearly not really paying attention anymore as one case lost his interest and he picked up another.  

He sighed. He picked up his bowl and set it in front of Kuroko, looking at him expectantly.

Kuroko didn’t even seem to notice, getting bored of this file quicker than the last and picking up a new one.

Aomine really didn’t think he’d have to do this for full grown man. He picked up the spoon full of cereal and held it in front of Kuroko’s face. “Don’t make me tell you to say ‘ah’.”

Kuroko frowned. “Wha—” he started to ask, but got a spoonful of cereal in his mouth instead. He choked for a moment before he managed to get it down and looked at Aomine incredulously. “What was that for?”

“Making sure you eat,” Aomine explained as he loaded up another spoonful. “Need to make sure you grow up to be a big, healthy, boy.”

Kuroko furrowed his eyebrows, a confused frown on his face. “I don’t understand,” he said after moving out of Aomine’s reach so he wouldn’t be force fed cereal again. “I’m capable of eating on my own.” Apparently he had been so absorbed in his files that he wasn’t even aware that Aomine had been trying to get him to do just that previously.

“Yeah? Well it didn’t look like you were. Now open up.” He got up to get closer to Kuroko and held the spoon up to his face.

Kuroko scrunched up his face in distaste, leaning further back in his seat. “Stop that. I’m not really hungry. I’ll get to it when I’m done with the files.” His stomach chose to growl right then to disagree with him.

Aomine snickered a bit. He put the spoon back in the bowl and snatched the files away from Kuroko. “You can look at them later. Eat now.”

“I don’t want to look at them later,” Kuroko complained, but started eating anyway, mostly to make sure Aomine didn’t shove food in his mouth again.

“Well, you’re not gonna eat if you’re looking through these files apparently. So I’m confiscating them until you finish that bowl of cereal.” Aomine put the files behind his back as he sat down and prepared himself another bowl of cereal.

Kuroko rolled his eyes. When he’d finished half of his cereal he tried to get the files back. “I’m done. Give them back.” He said, holding out his hands for the files that Aomine had taken from him.

Aomine looked at the bowl and cocked an eyebrow. “What are you, a kid? Do I have to tell you to finish all of it, including the milk?”

“I’m not hungry. I don’t want to finish all of it,” Kuroko argued.

“Yeah? Tell that to your growling stomach. Don’t make me feed you again.” That was a warning he never thought he’d have to give.

Kuroko scowled at him and finished the last few bites of his cereal before picking up the bowl and tipping it backwards to drain the milk. “Files. Now,” he ordered, unaware of the milk mustache that had formed on his face.

Laughing a bit, Aomine wiped the milk off his face with his thumb and licked it. He handed the files back to Kuroko and leaned in for a chaste kiss. He plopped back down onto his chair to finish his cereal, not even bothering to hide his smirk.

Kuroko tried to glare at him, but the blush on his face ruined it. He decided to pretend it wasn’t there, going back to searching through his stack of files.

Aomine finished up his cereal and moved to take both bowls back to the sink. He washed them and placed them on the rack to dry.

“Aomine-kun, have you been filtering the files?” Kuroko asked. He’d gone through half of them and he was still bored.

“Not really?” He hadn't meant to make it sound like a question.

Kuroko gave him a blank look. “You sure about that? Because you don’t sound sure.”

“Well, I have kinda been, but not as much as you probably think. There were only a few in there that I didn’t really want you to do. Like maybe one or two.” Aomine scratched his cheek.

“I want to see them,” Kuroko said, sounding far more interested in these files than he had in anything else that morning.

“I’d, uh, really rather you not.” He was looking at anything but Kuroko.

“Come on, they can’t be that bad, considering I just broke into the building of the biggest drug dealer in Japan.” Kuroko protested, getting up and walking over to Aomine, leaning into his space and looking up at him through his lashes. “Please; can’t I see them?” he asked sweetly.

In his defense, he had actually tried to resist those eyes, but it was just too hard. He caved pretty easily and went into his bag to fetch the two files he had taken out from the pile. “If you really want to do one, I suggest you do this one first.” He placed one of the files on top before handing them to him.

Kuroko flipped through the first one and gave Aomine an unimpressed look. “You truly are a despicable person, Aomine-kun. I no longer wish to be your flatmate. Is this why you don’t knock?” he asked, passing the file back to him. It involved a strip club, and he wasn’t even surprised. He’d seen the magazines when he was staying in Aomine’s apartment.

“What? I think it would be a very exciting mission. Don’t you think this mission would be great?”

“Aomine-kun is a pervert.” Kuroko said flatly, before opening the next file, interest finally sparking in his eyes. “I want to do this one,” he declared.

Aomine looked indignant. “It’s not perversion. It is a legitimate interest, and I just happen to be very interested in it.”

“I shredded all the magazines in your apartment,” Kuroko told him absentmindedly, still scanning the file, a smile slowly forming on his face as he read different challenges to it.

“You _what?!_ My poor Mai-chan! What have you done to her?!” He actually looked close to tears.

Kuroko ignored him, walking to his room where he kept his laptop to start researching the nuclear weapons manufacturing plant he was supposed to break into.

Aomine supposed that that was the end of the conversation. Well, he had at least tried to get the strip club one, even if he knew it probably wouldn’t have worked anyway. He had to meet a few people for more job offers later today, so he decided on a quick shower, but not before giving Kuroko one last kiss.

Kuroko made a small noise of protest when Aomine distracted him from his research, but decided to let it go, since it was Aomine’s mouth doing the distracting. It really was _so_ much better when they weren't fighting. 

Aomine headed towards the shower, feeling successful with at least Kuroko. That was something, even without his strippers and Mai-chan.

* * *

 

They did a few other missions, Akashi listening in on less and less of them as they got more used to it.

Of course, with Kuroko’s luck, when he finally did get hurt it wasn’t even on a job. He’d been on his way to go get a milkshake when he noticed a group of guys surrounding one person.

And, of course, Kuroko had to stop that. Which is how he found himself with a bullet in his arm.


	10. Home Sweet Home

Aomine had been in the middle of a workout when he had received the call from the hospital.

“Hello, is this Jinguji Ren?” a woman asked through the phone.

Aomine hesitated for a second, still not used to the new name. “Uhh, yes this is Ren. Who am I talking to?”

“This is Tachibana Shizuka. I’m calling from the Teiko Hospital. We have an Okita Souji here with a gunshot wound in his arm. You were listed as his emergency contact.”

Aomine felt his heart stop at the mention of Kuroko’s fake name. “He was _shot?_ Is he okay?! Is he alive?!”

“Yes, he is alive. He will be fine. It only hit his arm. Whoever did it ran away, but police are working on tracking them down from descriptions given by the witness,” the woman told him. “He’s in surgery right now, but he’ll be in room 511 if you want to come see him.”

“I’ll be right over!” He hung up and bolted out of the apartment after throwing on a shirt. He knew this would happen eventually. He knew Kuroko would eventually get hurt and this time he wasn’t there to protect him. If Kuroko wasn’t alright, he would never forgive himself.

* * *

 

Kuroko’s thoughts were muddled by the pain medication, and he had to squint and close his eyes several times against the bright fluorescent light of the hospital room.  

Aomine burst out of his chair when he saw Kuroko’s eyes open. Worry laced over his face as he waited for him to say something.

Aomine’s face swam into view, still kind of blurry before coming into focus. “Aomine-kun?” he mumbled, his voice sounded funny to him. Maybe it was the drugs or just his throat being in dire need of something to drink.  

“Tetsu? You okay? Can you move? Does your arm hurt?” Aomine was frantically checking over Kuroko to make sure that he was doing okay.

Aomine’s questions were coming too fast for his drug addled mind, and he blinked a few times as he tried to process what was being said to him. “I’m okay,” he finally answered.

Aomine almost collapsed on top of Kuroko from relief before remembering that he was injured. “Good. Thank God. I thought I was gonna explode from all the stress.”

Kuroko’s eyebrows furrowed. “You shouldn’t be stressed,” he decided after a moment with a small frown.

“Why the hell not? You’re in a hospital bed with a hole in your arm! I think I have plenty of reason to be stressed.”

“Yeah, but I’m okay, so you don’t need to worry,” he reassured, giving Aomine a cheerful smile.

Aomine wanted to cry from the worry he had been feeling. He didn’t but he really wanted to. He wrapped his arms around Kuroko and drew him into a tight hug. “Just don’t scare me like this again. Please.”

Kuroko slowly tried to wrap both arms around Aomine as well. Only one was willing to cooperate, but he didn’t really think it was a big deal, and just wrapped that one around him. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to be scared,” he said softly, resting his head on Aomine’s shoulder.

Aomine loosened his hold a bit to look at Kuroko’s face, causing Kuroko to pout at the loss of the shoulder he'd been using as a pillow. “Who did this to you?” His voice was softer than he had expected it to be, considering his anger at the situation.

Kuroko shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know. I didn’t know any of the people.”

Aomine’s anger only grew but he tried to keep it in. “Do you know why they shot you?”

Kuroko’s face took on a look of concentration as he tried to remember what had happened through the drugs. “Um... They were harassing someone. They didn’t like it when I tried to make them leave him alone,” Kuroko decided, nodding in agreement with himself.

Aomine sighed. He obviously wasn’t getting an actual answer with Kuroko this drugged-out. He gently pressed his lips to Kuroko’s temple and then to his lips before tightening the hug again. “Just promise me you won’t let it happen again.”

Kuroko frowned and shook his head. “ _No!_ They might have shot the other guy. I had to help. I can’t promise not to help,” he said earnestly, frowning at Aomine.

“But they shot _you_ instead!” He couldn’t believe Kuroko had such little care for his own safety.

Kuroko looked confused. “No, you don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head. “ _They were going to shoot the other guy_ ,” he said slowly, as if Aomine were the one on drugs. “I had to make sure they didn’t hurt him. So, it’s okay, because I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine! You have a hole in your arm! At least care a _little_ about your own well being.” His arms tightened more around Kuroko with every word.

“Aomine-kun, that hurts,” Kuroko protested weakly, squirming in Aomine’s arms.

He loosened his hold but never let go of him. “Sorry, but I really was worried, y’know. What if I had lost you?”

“Nah, I’m too hard to get rid of. You won’t lose me that easily,” Kuroko assured him, patting Aomine’s back lightly. “But at least now we know I can take a bullet. I think you asked me about that in a fight one time. You did ask that, right?”

“I wha—oh. Right. That fight. I didn’t think you would bring that up again. I guess you can, but I think I’d still much rather take the bullets.” It hurt a lot less that way. He didn’t say that though.

Kuroko shook his head. “No. I don’t want you to get hurt. No bullets for Aomine-kun,” he insisted.

Aomine laughed a bit. “Let’s hope there are no bullets for the both of us from now on.” He pressed his forehead to Kuroko’s.

Kuroko nodded in agreement. “I’m sleepy. Will you stay with me?” He asked, trying to move out of Aomine’s arms to lay back down.

Aomine released him and backed up a bit but kept hold of his hand. “Yeah, I’ll stay. You sleep.”

Kuroko gave him a sleepy smile. “Okay,” he agreed, eyes already starting to drift closed. “Daiki should sleep too. He looks tired,” Kuroko mumbled.

He was a little shocked by the use of his first name but smiled at him, “Yeah, I will later,” He pressed another kiss to Kuroko’s temple. “Goodnight, Tetsuya.”

* * *

 

“Daiki, did you know that if you put Saturn in water, it would float?” Kuroko asked Aomine as soon as the other walked into the room with a glass of water. Clearly, he was still heavily medicated and essentially stoned.

“Uhh… No?” Aomine wasn’t exactly sure what he was being asked _. Saturn? As in the planet?_

Kuroko nodded. “It would,” he said cheerfully. “And did you know that we are moving five hundred and thirty kilometers per second through space?”

“Okay then...” He’d seen plenty of different types of drunk, but this was a type of drunk he was not used to. At least it wasn’t crazy giggling.

Kuroko looked pleased with himself for coming up with these facts. “Daiki, why are you a cop?” Kuroko changed the subject as abruptly as he’d brought it up.

Aomine had originally wanted to be a cop because they got to drive fast chasing criminals in cool cars and with loud, flashing lights and he wanted to be able to make big, flashy entrances too. Then he learned about the guns and his teenage self definitely wanted a gun. But those weren’t heroic reasons and were kind of super embarrassing, so he opted to save himself the embarrassment. “I wanted to save people.” Which, after he got over the cool gear and stuff, he _did_ want to do. He just might’ve skipped over all the embarrassing reasons.

Kuroko seemed to consider this. “But you yelled at me for trying to save a person,” he accused, pouting at Aomine.

“Yes, I did. But you’re not a police officer are you?” He matched that stupid pout because this conversation was waffling way too fast between absurd and annoying.

“I could be,” Kuroko muttered. “I dressed as a police officer for Halloween one time.”

“Well I dressed as Superman one Halloween. But I don’t go around jumping off buildings thinking I can fly now.”

Kuroko smiled brightly at him. “But Daiki is super and he’s a man, so he is Superman,” Kuroko declared.

 _Fucking shit_. Aomine briefly entertained the idea of drugging Kuroko later because, my God, the man was downright adorable. “Thank you very much…” Aomine was too flustered to respond with anything more than that. Kuroko still had that illegally cute smile and it was doing wonders for his brain.

“You’re welcome,” Kuroko said, and then reached out one hand towards Aomine like he was reaching for him. “I wanna sleep. Come take a nap with me.”

Aomine wasn’t sure whether it was a blessing or a punishment. On one hand, he would be able to sleep with a very adorable Tetsu. On the other hand, he didn’t really want to be thrown out and banned from the hospital. He figured cuddling until he fell asleep wouldn’t be too bad. He just had to make sure not to get caught. He got on the bed next to Tetsu and drew him into his arms, minding Tetsu’s injured arm. He would get up once Tetsu was asleep. Hopefully.

* * *

 

Kuroko never thought he’d be so happy to be back in his and Aomine’s shared apartment, but he wasn’t a fan of being confined to a hospital bed. It was so boring, the food wasn’t good, and the smell of hospitals clung to everything even after he’d left. He just wanted a shower more than anything.

Aomine was also a big fan of the relocation—if only because he got to cuddle Tetsu all he wanted in the comfort of their own home. He tried to do everything he could for Kuroko... even if Kuroko didn’t want him to.

“Aomine-kun, I can open a door on my own,” Kuroko complained as he stepped inside, eyes already drifting towards the door of the bathroom so that he could go wash off the smell of disinfectant and disease.

“So can I. Too bad I did it first.” Aomine watched his gaze and half-jokingly offered, “Need any help?” —very obviously looking at the bathroom and smiling widely.

“No. If you’re going to see me undressed, it’s going to be right before you fuck me, and my arm hurts too much for that right now,” Kuroko replied, starting to walk towards the bathroom.

Aomine choked on his own spit and whipped his head to look at Kuroko to see if he was joking. He wasn’t. With a grin, he responded, “I’m sure I could change your mind.” He wrapped his arms around Kuroko and stole a kiss before leaning back and grinning once more.

“Nope. That doesn’t make my arm hurt less. A shower will at least help me not smell like a hospital,” Kuroko replied, slipping out of Aomine’s arms and disappearing into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Aomine watched him go, eyeing Kuroko’s ass as a consolation prize. “Killjoy,” he teased. He waited for Kuroko on the couch with a beer, waiting for the sound of the water to cease. When the water stopped and he heard Kuroko head for his room, he faced the hallway leading to their rooms so he’d see Kuroko right when he came out. He waited… and waited. _What the hell is taking so long?_

Kuroko was learning that putting on a shirt with one arm out of service due to medical leave was a lot harder than he thought. He struggled with it for probably half an hour before he finally gave up and, still a bit tangled in the shirt he’d stolen from Aomine, exited the room and approached the other man. “I need your help getting this on,” he muttered, looking anywhere but at Aomine and sounding rather defeated.

Aomine stared a bit in shock. _That_ was most certainly not what he was expecting. Once the shock passed, he burst into laughter. “You are absolutely adorable.”

A look of irritation flickered over Kuroko’s face. “I am _not_ ,” he argued.

“Hmm, sure you aren’t. Too bad that only increased the adorable.” Aomine got up and enjoyed the extra irritation. “I’ll help you, cripple.” He moved the fabric around the bum arm and helped Kuroko into the shirt. “You know, you swim in this thing. I’m surprised you couldn’t get it on considering how huge it is on you.”

“It’s not my fault your shirts are freakishly big,” Kuroko said. “That’s your fault. Shrink. It’ll do the world some good.”

“You know,” Aomine chuckled, “your arguments are a lot less convincing when you’re injured.”

Kuroko frowned at him. “How so? Being injured doesn’t affect my ability to argue.”

“Imagine how much trouble you’d have had with your own shirt. Tighter material means more difficulty. My ‘freakishly big’ shirt size did you a favor, buddy.”

“No it didn’t. I still couldn’t get it on without help,” Kuroko argued.

“Hmm.” Fair point. “Alright, well, it did _me_ a favor. I got to see you all tangled up. It was cute.”

“It was not.” Kuroko wasn’t even hungry, but he walked to the kitchen as an excuse to get away from Aomine and started looking through the fridge.

Aomine followed, still amused. “Want me to cook something for you?”

Kuroko shook his head. “I can make my own food,” he insisted.

“Good to know. You can cook for me later then.” Aomine grabbed ingredients over Kuroko’s shoulder and moved to the stove, trying to figure out what he could cook. He’d grabbed whatever was in reach, considering Kuroko was in the way, and his cooking expertise was extremely limited.

“Stop that. I’ll make it myself,” Kuroko protested, walking over and trying to take the things back.

Aomine plopped some of the food on the counter, but held up the ham, which Kuroko had been reaching for, high up in the air. “You can if you can reach.”

Kuroko glared at him. He wasn’t even going to try that. Aomine would just laugh at him when it didn’t work. “If I kick you and you fall, does it count as reaching it?” Kuroko asked.

“It counts as being an ass.” Aomine didn’t lower the meat.

Kuroko sighed. After being called adorable when he wasn’t trying, the last thing he wanted to do was intentionally be cute, but if it would get Aomine to let him do things by himself...

“You shouldn’t be mean to me when I’m injured,” Kuroko argued, pouting at him and batting his eyelashes a few times. “Please, Aomine-kun? I want to do it myself.” He was standing up on his tip toes to bring their faces closer together.

Aomine smiled. The little shit was manipulative. “Call me Daiki,” he prodded. He leaned forward, closing the space between them for a kiss, then pulling back for air. “Please?”

“Give me the food if you want me to do something for you.” Kuroko replied, giving Aomine a small smile.

“Does that include a better kiss?”

“I’ll have you know that all of my kisses are fantastic. I don’t know what you could possibly be talking about.”

Aomine grinned. He couldn’t argue that. He brought the food down, but placed it on the counter behind him instead. Then, facing Kuroko once more, he pulled the man into his arms—gently, so as not to hurt the injured limb—and waited. “Daiki?”

Kuroko almost could have laughed. “What is with you and hearing your own name, Daiki?” Kuroko stood on his tip toes again and pecked Aomine’s lips with his own.

The detective hummed with satisfaction. “I like hearing _you_ say my name.” He leaned in for a deeper kiss, pulling the thief even closer because that peck had _not_ been satisfying enough.

Kuroko murmured “Daiki” against Aomine’s lips as he kissed him, smiling.

Aomine gave another little hum. “I do love my name.”

Kuroko would have told him that he suspected Aomine just loved himself, but his mouth was a little occupied at the moment as he got more into the kiss, nipping Aomine’s lower lip before running his tongue over it.

Aomine opened his mouth in response and felt Tetsu respond, letting his own tongue roam. He could taste the crappy hospital food but enjoyed the little bits of vanilla—he’d been sneaking milkshakes in for Kuroko. He couldn’t help it. The man had an addiction and Aomine was addicted to the way his face lit up at the stupid shakes. He angled his head for better access and moved one hand from Kuroko’s back to his cheek. When they broke apart for air, he moved his lips to Kuroko’s neck.

Kuroko made a small noise of protest when Aomine’s mouth left his, but decided it was okay, since Aomine’s lips were still on him as he tilted his head to give him better access, wrapping his good arm around Aomine’s shoulders and tangling his fingers in Aomine’s hair.

Aomine nibbled the skin at the base of his throat, remembering it as a particularly sensitive spot and enjoying the moan he elicited, and Kuroko tugged lightly on his hair in response. He smiled against the man’s skin and bit once more, then gently removed the hand from his head so he could nibble on Tetsu’s ear next. “ _Tetsuya,_ ” he purred, hoping Tetsu like hearing his own name as much as “Daiki” excited _him_.

A quiet gasp left Kuroko’s lips, and he pressed himself as close as he could get to Aomine, moving the hand that had been in his hair under his shirt to explore the skin hidden beneath the fabric.

Aomine responded by pulling Kuroko closer, leaning back against the counter… and knocking off the ham that he’d placed haphazardly on the edge. The two startled apart from the sudden noise.

Kuroko looked away as he tried to get his breathing to even out, knowing that he was probably flushed and choosing to ignore it as he bent over to pick up the food that Aomine had knocked over.

Aomine wanted to keep going but guessed Kuroko had no intention of it. So he turned around to survey the food. “So, lunch? How about a group effort?”

“I can make my own food.” Kuroko didn’t want to have that argument again.

“Well I can sort of. So how about a cooking lesson? I’ll help and learn as we go.” He would do _something_. Otherwise, he’d feel bad just sitting and watching.

“That sounds like it would take time. And I’m just making omelets. It’s not that hard.” It was a bit harder with just one arm, but he decided he could manage as he got started.

“Are you suuuure?” Aomine clung onto Kuroko, pressing his chest against the smaller man’s back and nuzzling Kuroko’s neck.

“I am sure,” Kuroko said, trying to squirm out of Aomine’s arms, because it was hard enough to do things with just one arm without also having Aomine hanging onto him.

Kuroko was moving and Aomine didn’t like that, so he pressed his face in more and licked the skin there.

Kuroko froze, a small surprised squeak leaving him, and if confronted about it, he would blame the pain medication. It wasn’t enough to get him completely stoned like he had been in the hospital, but still.

“Can I help now?” Aomine kept his face near his neck still in case Kuroko needed any further… encouragement.

“No. Get off of me,” Kuroko said flatly, trying to work around Aomine.

Aomine squeezed tighter and gave another lick then nibbled on Kuroko’s ear. “ _Please_ , Tetsuya?”

It wasn’t fair. It was completely unfair, but he could feel his shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine,” he agreed, ducking his head to hide the blush on his face.

“Yes!” Aomine released Kuroko’s waist but grabbed his good hand and pulled him in for a deep kiss before fully moving away and turning his attention to the food again. “I‘ll chop stuff.”

* * *

 

“I think we should do this one. I can be ready by tomorrow.” Kuroko said, passing a file to Aomine after breakfast the next morning.

“Wait, you want to go on a mission _while_ you’re still injured? Are you insane?!” Aomine couldn’t believe Kuroko was suggesting this. Did he really have no sense of preservation?

Kuroko’s eyebrows rose. “Of course I’m going on a mission,” he answered, sounding like this was a completely normal thing to do. “All of the locks are electronic, so I’m going to hack through them.”

“You know, you’ll type a lot faster if you have both hands. If there are rolling codes, you’ll have hell to work through with one hand”

Kuroko shrugged one shoulder. “I think I’ll be fine. I rarely turn down a challenge after all,” he replied.

“You know, you have a knack for making things way more dangerous than they need to be. It’s bad for my heart. I worry for you.”

A small frown formed on Kuroko’s face. “But I’m fine. You don’t need to worry,” he said.

Aomine raised an eyebrow. “You just got shot in the arm. And you weren’t even on a job.”

“I had to help the guy,” Kuroko replied. “What was I supposed to do? Just leave him there?”

“Oh yeah? So, would you say you were… _worried_ , about him? Because you looked at his physical condition,” Aomine pointedly looked at Kuroko’s arm, “and decided he was probably better off not being in that situation?”

Kuroko opened his mouth to reply and then shut it again. Aomine had him there.

Aomine would have been smug that he had rendered Kuroko temporarily speechless, but he was more concerned about driving his point home. He sighed. “You don’t need to worry about me, either. But would _you_ stop, just because I told you to?”

Kuroko knew when he’d lost an argument. He may not like it, but he couldn’t say no to that. He gave Aomine an exasperated look and a small sigh. “And how long are you expecting me to stay on bed rest?” he asked.

“Until your left arm is as functional as your right,” Aomine said firmly.

“Oh, come on. That could take forever. Can’t it just be mostly functional?” Kuroko tried.

“‘Mostly functional’ is not a condition you want to be in when you’re in hostile territory.”

“But just sitting around will be so boring,” Kuroko complained. “Can’t I go on small missions at least?”

Aomine stared for a moment, then conceded, “Well, okay. But only ones that can really, honestly be done with your arm in this condition.”

“I could do a mission now,” Kuroko muttered, and no, he was not pouting.

“True. Just not this mission. Pick something boring.” Aomine slid the file back across the table, ending the conversation.

Kuroko looked through the files. He didn’t want a boring mission, but it was better than standing around doing nothing. He finally picked something that made him feel nothing but bored and passed it to Aomine. He kind of wanted to punch himself just for thinking about taking that mission.

Aomine looked at the file. Good, he felt a bit better about that job. He could let Kuroko do this one.

* * *

 

A body thumped to the floor before Haizaki picked up his ringing phone. “What?!”

“I’ve got a meeting with that Ren guy. The one who works with the Phantom. We’re meeting in the Rakuzan Hotel, suite 1411, three days from now at two pm,” the person on the other line said.

Haizaki hung up once he had the information. A wicked grin crossed his face. He was going to kill that stupid Phantom. No one robbed him and got away with it. He licked the muzzle of the gun before taking aim at his next target and firing, imagining that stupid smiling face was what he was hitting, instead of a terrified traitor.


	11. Careful What You Wish For

Kuroko was _bored._ He’d been doing jobs so simple that he felt embarrassed leaving his sticky notes behind. And if he wasn’t doing that, he was cooped up in the apartment. And Aomine kept leaving.

He was _not_ moping. He didn’t care what Akashi said the one time he had talked to him on video chat.

And Aomine was leaving again. So he didn’t even have Aomine to entertain him. “Can I go to a friend’s house? I’m losing my mind here,” Kuroko asked before Aomine could walk out the door.

His immediate answer would have been _hell no_ , but Aomine figured that probably wouldn’t fly so well. He settled on asking, “You don’t have any more planning to do?”

“No. These missions are easy. Akashi-kun’s father’s building was ten times harder to get into and I managed that without any planning. I have plans for each and every mission we have.” It’s what he’d been doing to try to pass the time.

Aomine understood the boredom, but a friend’s house was different than staying in the apartment. “You do realize the whole ‘police contract’ thing is still happening? Technically, I should be dragging you to all these meet ups and handcuffing you inside the car to wait while I conduct business.”

“I won’t tell him anything about it. Kagami-kun doesn’t really press people to talk if they don’t want to,” Kuroko assured. Being handcuffed in a car sounded awful. At least he could watch movies in the apartment.  

“...You know I really don’t want you to?” Aomine sighed. He couldn’t really think of any other arguments. He wished he could stay at the apartment with Kuroko but work was work. He had criminals to meet and reports to make.

“Please?” Kuroko asked, because he really just wanted to do something other than sit around and make plans for jobs that he could do going in blind and still be bored.

“You should also already know that I’ll let you.” Aomine returned to the couch from the entryway and handed Kuroko his phone. “Put in the address so I can come find you if I need to.”

Kuroko smiled at him and took the phone, quickly typing in the address. “Feel free to stop by when you're done with your meeting. Kagami-kun makes great food; we could all have dinner together.”

Aomine leaned down for a kiss before answering, “Are you sure you wouldn’t want dinner with just us?”

“I’m sure that neither of us can cook as well as he can.” Kuroko replied. “Besides, we have dinner just us every day.”

Aomine frowned. “You cold, cold man. What’s wrong with wanting to be alone?”

“Nothing. Except that yesterday, you tried to grab my ass instead of eat. Maybe if we add someone else to the table, you’ll actually behave.”

The frown grew. “You didn’t seem to mind my kissing you after.”

Kuroko pulled Aomine down by the collar of his shirt. “I still don’t,” he reassured before kissing him. “But that doesn’t meant that I don’t want to see my friends,” he said after pulling back.

Aomine reluctantly pulled away to check his phone. He _really_ needed to get going. Making a mobster wait was never fun. “Alright, have fun then, I guess.” He leaned down for another quick kiss then turned for the door. “I’m sorry I can’t stay with you. You know I wish I could,” he called over his shoulder.

Kuroko did know that, but he still did want to see his friend. Even if he hadn’t been going crazy with boredom, he would miss his friends.

So, he made his way to Kagami’s apartment and knocked on the door.

Kagami opened the door to see Kuroko staring up at him. “Kuroko?! Where the hell have you been?! It’s been two months since anyone’s seen you.” Kagami looked at him with a mixture of anger, worry, and slight relief.

“I can’t really talk about it, but I’m bored. Can we hang out?” Kuroko replied, giving Kagami an apologetic smile.

“Uh-I guess?” He moved to the side to let Kuroko in. “Did you want something to eat? I was just about to make lunch.”

Kuroko nodded and stepped inside. “Thank you, Kagami-kun. It’s good to see you again,” he said.

Kagami went back to his kitchen to continue making lunch. He really wanted to ask Kuroko about where he had been for the past two months but knew he wouldn’t talk about it if he didn’t want to. He supposed that as long as he was okay he didn’t need to worry about it. He flipped the ten fish he was grilling and called out to Kuroko who had gone to his living room. “I’ll be done in a few minutes.”

Kuroko nodded wandering into the kitchen. “I like your apron,” Kuroko told him.

“Shut up, it was a gift from Alex.” He tried to ignore the fact that the apron was a very obnoxious pink.

“How is Alex-san? Is she in America right now?” Kuroko asked.

“Yeah, she went back two weeks ago. She said she had to get back to work.” After deeming all the fish were well cooked enough, he placed nine on a big plate and one on a considerably smaller one. He passed the plates to Kuroko to bring back to the living room and started scooping some rice into two bowls.

Kuroko took the plates and put them in the living room, talking just loud enough to be heard from the other room. “That’s a shame. I was hoping to say hello to her as well. Although, I wasn’t in a state to come over two weeks ago. You were right, I shouldn’t start things with people who can beat me. I’m okay now though.”

Kagami went to the living room with both bowls of rice and two pairs of chopsticks, “So I’m guessing someone finally beat you at something. About time. You were starting to get kinda reckless.”

“How rude. I wouldn’t say ‘about time’ if someone put Kagami-kun in the hospital,” Kuroko said, taking his bowl and then passing Kagami his plate.

Kagami slightly choked on his rice. “ _Hospital?!_ What the hell happened?”

Kuroko didn’t need a sling for his arm anymore. It was wrapped up in a bandage now. He pulled up his sleeve to show him. It had nothing to do with his undercover jobs, so he thought it was okay to talk to Kagami about. “I made someone with a gun mad,” he said simply, and then dropped his sleeve and started eating calmly.

Kagami wanted to comment on how his shirt looked too big to actually be his but decided to leave it; it probably wasn’t too big of a deal. “You really need to think before you pick a fight with someone. I told you before that you were eventually gonna get hurt,” he sighed.

“I know. That’s why I said you were right,” Kuroko replied. “But I maintain that I was in the right. They were about to beat up some other guy. I couldn’t just do nothing.”

“Doesn’t mean you should get hurt in his place. Y’know you can’t just take on every bully you see and think you’ll always come out of it unscathed,” Kagami said through a mouthful of fish and rice.

“I don’t think that. I just want to help. I know it’s possible that I’ll get hurt. Case and point, two weeks ago I was shot. But how have you been? I’m tired of talking about this.”

Kagami didn’t really want to drop the subject but conceded, “I’ve been good I guess, kinda bored though. The station’s been pretty quiet.”

“That’s a good thing though, right? It means that people aren’t lighting themselves on fire,” Kuroko pointed out.

“Yeah… I guess, just wish there was something to do, maybe even just a cat in a tree or something,” He grumbled as he made his way through his third fish.

“I will find a cat to put in a tree just for Kagami-kun,” Kuroko decided.

“Uh—no, it’s okay, don’t traumatize cats just for my boredom.”

“Kagami-kun would do it for me, so I should do it for him,” Kuroko said, and then remembered that he had invited Aomine. “Is it okay if Aomine-kun comes over for dinner?” Kuroko asked.

“I don’t think I’d throw a cat into a tree just to relieve you of your boredom,” Kagami took a few seconds to process the second half of what Kuroko had said. “Who the hell is Aomine?”

“Aomine-kun is my...” Kuroko frowned a bit. They hadn’t talked about what they were to each other. “...something,” Kuroko ended lamely after a moment of consideration.

Kagami hummed, “I never took you to be the type.”

“What type?” Kuroko asked curiously.

“The type to have that kind of relationship with someone. Are they a good person?”

“I think so,” Kuroko said with a small smile. “We just haven’t really talked about what we are yet. It hasn’t come up.”

Kagami finished off his last fish and his bowl of rice getting up to put them away. “Well, as long as you know what you’re doing. Just try not to get hurt.”

“I’ll certainly try my best. You'll beat him up if he hurts me, right?” Kuroko added the last bit jokingly.

“Of course,” Kagami replied seriously.

* * *

 

Aomine slightly limped up to Kagami’s doorstep, trying to compose himself enough not to alarm this friend of Kuroko’s. He knocked on the door, hiding his other hand behind his back, clenching the fabric wrapped around it in an attempt to slow the bleeding.

Kagami opened the door to see a tan man about the same height as him. He stared at him skeptically for a second. There was something slightly off about this guy.

“Yo, Eyebrows. Where’s Tetsu?” he asked, trying his best to search the apartment for the man in question without shifting enough to reveal his hand.

Kagami stared at him for another minute before turning to Kuroko, “Hey Kuroko, there’s a shady-looking guy out here claiming to know you.” He stepped to the side to give Kuroko a better view of whoever it was standing at the doorway.

Kuroko peeked around Kagami, and his eyes widened in surprise as he took in the state of Aomine. “What the hell happened to you?!” Kuroko didn’t often curse, but seeing Aomine beaten up caught him so off guard that it just slipped out.

“A fight. We can talk about it at home, please?” Aomine hoped his voice carried the gravity of the situation. They needed to talk. _ASAP._

Kuroko nodded. “Kagami-kun, I’m sorry, but it seems something has come up. I’m going to have to leave a bit earlier than expected.” He said, stepping around him and outside next to Aomine.

Kagami looked back and forth between the shady man and Kuroko with a concerned look. He fumbled a bit over his words before saying goodbye.

Aomine had to turn his body and move his wrapped hand out of Kagami’s view simultaneously, but managed to make it out of view without limping too exaggeratedly. As they neared the car, Aomine dug the keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Kuroko, ignoring the looks of concern he was receiving over the hand. “You’re driving and I’ll explain when we’re home.”

Kuroko nodded, catching the keys, and getting into the driver's seat. He had to adjust it so that he could reach the pedals, but as soon as he was close enough and Aomine was seated, he rushed home.

* * *

 

“Akashi.” He was currently staring down at a man begging for his life to be spared, but he had a few minutes to answer the phone call that had interrupted. “Make it quick.”

“Akashi, you know everyone worth knowing about, right?” Haizaki asked, toying with a knife while he talked from inside of his office.

“I’m offended that you phrased that as a question.” He was also curious as to who Haizaki Shougo needed to know that he couldn’t find himself.

“I’m looking for the Phantom. Fucking bastard stole a shit ton of Molly from right inside my building, but no one can tell me anything about him other than who’s working with him. You were the first person to start spreading that he was taking contracts. I want a name.”


	12. Just A Scratch

Kuroko’s hands hovered around Aomine, wanting to help, but not really sure how or if he would be making it worse by touching, before he finally just gave up and out right asked. “What happened?” They were walking inside and Kuroko was holding the door open for Aomine.

“Hurts… like… a _bitch,_ ” Aomine panted out, clutching his ribs and rubbing the fabric on his hand in a way that sent spikes of pain through his body. “Talk… inside, please?... Sit down.” He hobbled to the couch, unconcerned with appearances now that they were in the safety of their own home, and showing Kuroko the full extent of his limp.

Kuroko watched him carefully, ready to try and catch him if he ended up collapsing. And looking at the limp it wouldn’t have surprised him. He felt the same urge to help as before, and felt absolutely useless because he didn’t know how. “We should take you to a hospital,” he suggested, closing the door and following behind.

“Ha!” Aomine laughed mirthlessly. “The last place we should be going is a public facility. Unless I want to get killed. Then maybe.” He settled onto the couch as comfortably as he could—which wasn’t very much considering his entire body felt engulfed in fire—laying out across the cushions and leaning his head back to look at Kuroko. “What’s the extent of your medical expertise?”

“I can do very basic first aid. Usually just for if a kid gets hurt on the playground,” Kuroko replied with a frown.

“New question then: How well do you think you’ll be able to follow my instructions? Because this kid got hurt on a really really painful playground and I think I might need a bit more than a few band-aids and kisses to make it better.” He thought about that last part. “Well, maybe the kisses might be nice.” Aomine always had a little romance left in him—even in his sorry state.

“Counter-proposal: Instead of letting me do mediocre work on you, I call a friend of mine who is a doctor and ask him to come here. Then you don’t have to go to a hospital, and you get professional care. He’ll even probably do this for me for free,” Kuroko suggested.

Aomine hesitated. They really shouldn’t involve any civilians. Good thing he knew a doctor too. “Nah, if we have to call someone, I’ve got a guy.” He dug out his phone and threw it to Kuroko. “Check my contacts for ‘Megane’.”

“If you’re putting in names like that, I have to wonder what my name in your phone is,” Kuroko said, thumbing through the contacts for the one that Aomine had specified.

“...How much trouble would I get into for ‘Sexy’?”

Kuroko rolled his eyes. “You’re lucky you’re injured,” he replied before hitting call and waiting for an answer.

“Ha?” Aomine protested despite the phone to Kuroko’s ear. “That’s a compliment!”

Kuroko ignored him. “Hello?" he said when he heard someone pick up the phone.

“...Who is this? I do not appreciate calls from unspecified callers. Identify yourself.”

Kuroko could have almost laughed if the situation were different. So, they both knew Midorima. It would save him the trouble of remembering to use his and Aomine’s fake names. “This is Kuroko. Midorima-kun, Aomine-kun’s been hurt and we need your assistance.”

Aomine sat there dumbly for a bit. Since when did Kuroko know that green-haired bastard? “Oi, how do you know that idiot?” he yelled, hoping Midorima heard him too. The bastard needed to be taken down a peg whenever he could.

“High school,” Kuroko mouthed to Aomine as Midorima answered.

Midorima kept it brief. The doctor in him not allowing him to chat when someone was injured, even though he had questions about how Kuroko knew Aomine as well. “Where are you two?”

Kuroko gave the address and Midorima hung up, saying that he could be there in fifteen minutes.

“Do I get a get-well kiss while we wait?” Aomine tried. He still hurt, but a few kisses certainly couldn’t make things worse.

“You get to explain to me what happened to you,” Kuroko replied, passing the phone back to him. “Also, you could have told me it was Midorima-kun. He’s the same doctor I was going to call.”

“Uh, well, how long will he take to be here? Because it’s kind of a long story and I’d really rather he not interrupt in the middle of it…” He took a breath to collect his thoughts. “Also, I didn’t know you knew him. So totally not my fault.”

“You have fifteen minutes. Which really means ten with him.”

“Yeah, that’s not enough. It is for that kiss I asked about though.” He smiled—or tried to. It was more of a half-smile, half-grimace.

Kuroko pecked him lightly on the cheek, keeping clear of all the bruises on his face. “I met him in highschool because of basketball, how do you know him?”

“Eh, police officers meet all kinds of emergency personnel. I had the bad luck of meeting that particular doctor.” He waved that part of the question away. “But, _basketball?_ ” His eyes lit up a bit with the term. “You played basketball? Man, I wish I’d known that sooner! We could have been playing basketball on some of our free days.” He sighed at the lost opportunity.

“I’m not that good by myself, so you probably wouldn’t have much fun playing against just me,” Kuroko said with a shrug.

“What are you talking about? Basketball is always fun! I’ve been playing street ball for forever… We could always play together. I bet we’d make a really great team.” He was grinning now, his excitement helping him ignore the pain.

“You have to get better first. Then, we can try and play,” Kuroko promised, giving him a quick kiss.

* * *

 

Kuroko practically ran to the door to let Midorima in when he heard the knock. “Come on in, he’s on the couch.”

Aomine waved with his good hand, the bad one resting on his chest. “The good doctor appears.”

“And the idiot cop won’t just go to a doctor. He’s got to make me do a house call,” Midorima said gruffly. “So, where are you hurt?”

Aomine glanced at Kuroko briefly but saw the man’s look of resolution. He probably wouldn’t leave. No point in dragging it out. “Um, pretty much everywhere. But I’d like you to take a look at my hand first. My palm has a mean slice in it. Also, check my leg to make sure it isn’t fractured?” Aomine paused, wondering what other more than minor injuries he had. “Uh… I think I might have a rib fracture or two. But that’s probably less likely.” He gave a sheepish smile, avoiding looking Kuroko in the eye.

Kuroko watched as Midorima got to work, feeling the worry, and anger at whoever did this to Aomine, building up inside of him as he saw more and more of the injuries that Aomine had been hiding from him. He was also a little upset at the fact that Aomine hadn’t told him how bad it was from the start. From the look Aomine had given him before he started talking, and the way that he was trying not to look at him now, Kuroko could guess that it was because he didn’t want him to worry.

As Midorima prodded a particularly sore rib, Aomine tried not to wince, but failed, overly conscious of Kuroko observing them. “Oi, Doc. Your bedside manner is a little harsh, buddy.”

“Rib fractures tend to hurt. It isn’t my bedside manner at fault. If anything, your lack of self-preservation seems to be the main issue. From the look of that cut, you sliced your hand early on in this… altercation of yours. That should have been a pretty good warning to withdraw.” Inwardly, Midorima was concerned over the extensive amount of bruising all over the man’s body. Some injuries overlapped, though nothing was quite as major as the hand. The leg had just barely avoided a fracture. Midorima was amazed Aomine had managed to walk inside the apartment—he knew Kuroko couldn’t have carried him.

Aomine shot another quick look at Kuroko at Midorima’s words. “I, um, had some trouble getting away.” He winced again, sucking in a breath at the sharp bolt of pain. “I dealt my share of the damage though.” He hoped that might reassure Kuroko at least a tiny bit.

Kuroko frowned as he moved closer to look at the ribs, but tried to stay out of the way. He wanted to ask questions, but he knew that he couldn’t with Midorima there, so he was anxiously waiting for the green-haired man to be done and leave.

Midorima bandaged Aomine’s chest and decided the rest of the injuries contained only varying levels of bruising. “I’m sure you know how to handle the rest. Will you need me to bring you prescription medication or will you manage? I assume I would need to outfit you personally.” He wasn’t stupid. He remembered the burner cell and assumed this was a need-to-know basis.

“I’ll manage,” Aomine ground out, shifting on the couch so he was sitting up. He offered a reluctant thanks and watched as Midorima deposited extra bandages on the counter before leaving the apartment.

“What happened?” Kuroko asked again as soon as Midorima was out. “And why didn’t you tell me how bad it was?”

“Like I said, it’s a really _really_ long story. So could we maybe move the party to my bedroom? The couch isn’t as comfy as it usually is right now.” Aomine tried to move but sighed, realizing that the adrenaline was completely gone at this point and he really would need help to his bedroom.

“I think I would drop you if I tried to carry you,” Kuroko said, looking between the couch and the bedroom door uncertainly.  

”Good thing I can half-walk then.” He waited, sitting on the arm of the couch and reached out for Kuroko. “Just an arm, please?”

Kuroko held out his hand to help him up. He could manage Aomine leaning on him until they reached his room.

* * *

 

Sitting up against a nest of pillows on his bed, Aomine prepared himself for the story. He watched as Kuroko settled on the foot of the bed, waiting. “Um. It’s a long story. You gonna stay down there the whole time?” Aomine wanted to grab Kuroko and bring him beside him but didn’t think he could quite manage that considering he was having trouble breathing sitting upright. Rib fractures really did hurt like hell.

Kuroko hesitated, but moved closer until he was sitting next to Aomine. “If it’s a long story, you should start telling it.”

* * *

 

The meeting was set for two pm at the Rakuzan Hotel. Aomine was a little late thanks to the conversation about Kuroko going to Kagami’s house, but someone still waited out front for him. He knew the type. Dark suit, dark glasses, clean cut but dangerous aura—the mobster that was high enough to be sorted out from the common gangster, but still noticeably a lackey for someone even higher. He wasn’t flashy enough for the boss type.

Aomine approached warily, armed only with a set of knives in his back and an ankle holsters with a small caliber weapon to hide the bulge against his leg. “Yo. I’m here for Mayuzumi. Tell him Jinguji Ren is here.”

“Right this way, sir.” Mayuzumi greeted, sounding completely bored with the whole thing, putting his light novel away. He wasn’t sure why Haizaki had to use his name for the meeting and then send him to greet the guy.

Aomine followed along. That was the only good thing about meeting with higher-up criminals. They didn’t talk too much, which suited Aomine just fine. The less he had to act chummy with the scum, the better.

He didn’t notice anything off until the elevator ride. A tail had joined them halfway, but that was normal. The two other guys that came on—one at the doors, one on the next floor—were less so, but not necessarily suspicious. The two more guys, however, tipped the scales. No benign meeting required a whole armada as an escort. Aomine subtly checked the positions of the men surrounding him in the elevator, preparing to bolt. Apparently, this was a meeting he didn’t want to go to. He shifted his body weight, rolling from one foot to the other, but tensed when one of the men also moved. Subtlety wasn’t exactly his forte.

He figured he was blown already and a short check of the elevator lights showed him they were a floor away from the meet point. No time like the present. He swung.

Unfortunately, mobsters had very good reflexes and the element of surprise doesn’t last quite as long as you’d like it too, surrounded by six guys as big as—or bigger—than you. His first punch was solid and took out the guy barely smaller than himself, clearing up the side for him to shove his back against wall and removing one direction for possible attacks. With five more guys left, he kept swinging, dodging a nasty hook here but receiving a glancing blow to his side in the process. When he turned his attention to one side, he saw a flicker of something silver in the corner of his eye and reflexively whipped a hand out to grab the offender, saving himself from a direct stab to his gut by grabbing the knife—and earning a deep slice through his palm for his efforts. But that only stopped him for a moment. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.

* * *

 

Aomine sprinted for his life, thanking every higher power he knew for the adrenaline that was numbing the pain of what he suspected might be a leg fracture. His hand dripped blood and his chest burned, from both exhaustion and pain, earning him quite a few looks from passersby. But thankfully, no one barred his way and he managed to make it to his car, losing the two guys that had trailed him out the hotel’s front doors. He thanked the gods a second time for his department’s foresight to buy him a nondescript car for the undercover job and sped out of the parking lot, watching for any signs of a tail.

He pulled into a gas station after looping around several times and wrapped his hand in a towel he stored in his car, rummaging beneath the back seat of the car for his go-bag and removing the change of clothes stored there.

With a full tank of gas, a more presentable outfit, and his makeshift bandage already soaking through with blood, he hurried off to get Kuroko from his friend’s house.

They needed to lay low.

* * *

 

“That wasn’t a very long story,” Kuroko observed. “You could have told me that before Midorima-kun got here. But we haven’t done anything to upset anyone named Mayuzumi.”

“Alright, fine, it wasn’t so long.” Aomine was on his back now, the pain in his chest aggravated by all the talking he’d done and his breathing painful even lying down. “I thought it would be longer. Sorry. The experience definitely seemed endless. I planned to talk to Akashi for info on this Mayuzumi guy. We can do that now if you want.”

Kuroko nodded, he was about to pull out his phone, but it started ringing. He frowned when he pulled it out to see that Akashi was calling them.

“Hello Akashi-kun. We were just about to call you,” he greeted, putting it on speaker.

“Tetsuya. Unfortunately, I have some grave news for you and Daiki.” Despite his words, he still sounded as calm as ever.

Kuroko was surprised to hear his first name instead of “Phantom-san”, but didn’t comment on it. “What would that be?”

“It seems your first heist didn’t sit too well with Haizaki. He’s very angry and currently looking for you. I suggest you both lay low for a while.”

That connected the pieces well enough for Kuroko to understand what had happened. So, it was his fault that Aomine was hurt. He had insisted on doing the heist, despite both Aomine and Akashi telling him not to, and now it seemed that Haizaki was taking it out on Aomine. “Would someone named Mayuzumi happen to work for Haizaki?” Kuroko asked after a moment.               

Akashi was slightly surprised by the mention of the name, “Yes, he was a gift from me to Haizaki for our alliance. Have you met him recently?”

“Not sure,” Aomine broke in. “But I had a meeting with him. I didn’t catch any names, but I met six guys, all beefy and around my height. Three with black hair, two brunettes, and one dude with grey. Grey-hair was my first contact.”

“They beat Aomine-kun up,” Kuroko added.

“I’ll assume the one with grey hair was Mayuzumi. Is Daiki heavily injured?”

“Only a few scratches,” Aomine answered at the same time Kuroko responded, “Yes, he is.”

Akashi sighed. “You’re not a very good liar, Daiki.”

“Yeah, thanks. I’ve been getting that a lot lately.” Aomine glared at Kuroko. He had a feeling those impassive eyes were currently very amused.

He was wrong. Kuroko was too concerned to be amused by the jab, but he wasn’t looking at Aomine for the other to notice. He was looking at the phone. “So, it was Haizaki, right?” Kuroko asked.

“Yes, it was Haizaki. You’ve made quite the dangerous enemy. Again, I suggest the both of you to lay low. You should also keep an eye on anyone you’ve been in contact with recently.”

Aomine whipped out his phone, already scrolling for “Megane”. They disagreed a bit but he didn’t want Midorima dead.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko whispered to himself. “Akashi-kun, I have to make another phone call. Goodbye.” He hung up and immediately called Kagami.

“Hello?” Kagami answered. 

“Kagami-kun, this is Kuroko. It seems I have angered someone else, and I’ve been told that I should warn the people I have recently been in contact with to be careful.”

Kagami wasn’t expecting that. He decided it was probably time he asked Kuroko about his secret hobbies. “Can you tell me how you’ve angered these people?”

“I did a bit of stealing, and apparently someone got mad about it.” Kuroko answered.

“Stealing?! Why would you steal something from someone?!”  

“I—” Kuroko bit his lip as he tried to think of something to say. “It’s complicated. What matters right now is that you need to be careful, and that I’m sorry if I have inconvenienced you.”

“Look, I know you like your privacy, but I’m your friend. You can tell me. I’m not gonna judge you.”

“I know, and I’ll explain it to you later. Just promise you’ll be safe, okay?”

Kagami figured that would be all he would get Kuroko to tell him right now so he conceded. “Alright. I’ll be careful. Talk to you later then.”

“Thank you, Kagami-kun. Have a nice night,” Kuroko said before hanging up.

Aomine watched Kuroko hang up, grateful for Midorima’s experience with the police. He didn’t like dealing with civilians. His call to Midorima had consisted of his telling the doctor that they wouldn’t be calling for anymore assistance and to feel free to call the department if he needed any help—a clear warning to Midorima to watch his back. Their call had finished fast enough for Aomine to catch the end of Kuroko’s conversation, but he pretended he hadn’t listened in. It was none of his business.

Kuroko started move off the bed. “I’ll let you to get some rest. We’ll figure this out in the morning.”

Aomine tried to reach for Kuroko and stop him but gritted his teeth at the pain. He wasn’t quite ready to move yet. “Shouldn’t we stay together? For, uh, safety reasons?” He couldn’t find a legitimate excuse for him to stay—he just wanted him to.

Kuroko rolled his eyes and settled back into the bed next to Aomine. “You could just tell me that you want me to stay,” he informed him.

Aomine moved his arm, slowly, until his hand rested on Kuroko’s cheek. “Wasn’t sure if you would.”

“Of course I would.” Kuroko turned his head to place a light kiss to the palm of Aomine’s hand.

As they settled into bed, Aomine felt the need to clarify one thing before they drifted off completely into sleep.

“You know this wasn’t your fault, right?”

Kuroko decided not to answer, hoping that Aomine would just fall asleep.

When he didn’t answer, Aomine moved to wrap Kuroko in his arms, ignoring the pain. Some things were more important. “It’s _not_ your fault.” He pressed a kiss into Kuroko’s hair.

As far as Kuroko was concerned, it was his fault. But Aomine needed to rest to recover, so he didn't argue. “Okay,” he conceded quietly.

“Mmm. Good.” Aomine was succumbing to sleep. Right before he fell asleep completely, he muttered, “Sorry I’m such an idiot… Try not to worry.”

Like he wasn’t going to worry. And it wasn’t Aomine who was the idiot in this situation. But Kuroko held his tongue so that Aomine would sleep. It took a while, but he eventually drifted off as well.


	13. Will You Remember?

“You know, I appreciate the help, but I think it would be faster if I do this myself.” Aomine was struggling not to laugh at Kuroko’s efforts to help him into a shirt, enjoying both the nostalgia of the situation and view of a fumbling Kuroko. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy for Kuroko as it had been for Aomine, considering he was much bigger than Kuroko.

“Nope. You insisted on helping me with everything when _I_ first got hurt, now I have to do the same,” he said stubbornly.

“I suppose it’s a good thing I waited until you regained a bit of motor function before I got hurt then.” Aomine couldn’t help the bit of his amusement that leaked into his voice. It was too funny.

Kuroko didn’t answer since he was busy trying to stand up tall enough to help Aomine. A small victorious smile crossed his face when he finally succeeded in getting the shirt on the taller man.

“Great. Now could you go make breakfast or something? Because as much as I love you, I really don’t need you to put my pants on for me—even with a bum leg. I have basketball shorts. I’ll manage.” Aomine tried to dismiss Kuroko with a shooing motion. He would probably die of embarrassment in the process if he allowed Kuroko to.

Kuroko had been starting to walk out when Aomine asked him to make food, but froze when he heard the words ‘I love you’. He ducked his head to hide the blush rapidly taking over his face, even though he wasn’t even facing Aomine any more since he’d been walking towards the door. “I love you too,” he muttered, starting to walk again to get out of the room before Aomine could laugh at him for blushing.

Aomine hadn’t heard the inaudible mutter from his seat on the edge of the bed, but he called out after Kuroko, “No goodbye kiss?” with a teasing smile on his face. That man was too adorable for his own good.

Kuroko considered telling him no and continuing to walk, but sighed and turned around, still looking at the ground. He walked over to Aomine and gave him a quick peck on the lips before walking out and going to the kitchen.

Aomine grinned in triumph. Little victories like that almost made the fact that his entire body ached worth it. He turned his attention to the rest of his morning routine, shuffling around on the bed and reaching for various objects, never putting his weight on the bad leg. He’d figure out walking later.

* * *

 

Kuroko was working on attempting to make pancakes when he heard a thud in the hallway. He turned off the stove and ran over to where Aomine appeared to have fallen over. “Are you okay?" he asked, frantically trying to figure out something he could do to help.

“Um, yes?” Aomine looked down at the floor before glancing up, struggling for an excuse that would get that stupid worried expression off of Tetsu’s face. “I was examining the floor… I think we should invest in carpets. For if someone… actually fell, of course.”

“You’re still a terrible liar,” Kuroko informed him, holding out his hand to help Aomine up. “I don’t know how you manage to deal with criminals on a regular basis and not get shot.”

“Well, criminals don’t tend to be stupidly adorable.” Aomine pouted, but accepted the hand. “Don’t I get brownie points for trying or something? This leg doesn’t look as bad as it feels. Er,” when he saw the increased worry on Kuroko’s face, he quickly amended his statement. “It’s not too awful though! I’ll be fine in a day or two.”

Kuroko frowned at him. “Please stop lying to me," he said as he led Aomine to the couch and carefully helped him sit down.

Now Aomine was frowning. “Why are we on the couch? I was gonna sit in the kitchen with you. Now you have to walk more.” He made to get up but was gently stopped by Kuroko.

“No. You’re going to sit in here, because you don’t need to be moving so much. I’ll bring food out to you, but you stay here," he said with his hands on Aomine’s shoulders to keep him from getting up again.

Aomine glared. Tetsu was treating him like a child, damn him. “You know I’m not _five_ right?”

“You’re right, you’re not. But you are hurt, and I’m not letting you hurt yourself more. You made a big deal of it when I got hurt, so you don’t get to complain when I do the same thing to you.”

Aomine sighed. “Alright, fine… Thank you.” He watched Kuroko get up but grabbed at one hand with his good hand. “I gave you more get-well kisses though,” he complained. He’d lost the argument, but he figured he might as well milk it for all he could.

“Now you’re just acting five,” Kuroko said, but leaned in to give him a kiss anyway.

* * *

 

After eating, Kuroko pulled out his phone to call Kagami and make sure everything was still okay. When he got no answer, he frowned and turned to Aomine. “Can you call your station and ask them if they’ve had any reports involving Kagami Taiga? He’s not answering his phone.”

Aomine hesitated. “You know I’m not to make any direct contact except in extreme emergencies.” He paused in thought. “My next drop-off was supposed to be the morning after tomorrow. I could put in a request with my usual report,” he offered.

Kuroko shook his head and got up to get his laptop. If Aomine wasn’t going to check for him, he would do it himself. He came back to the couch and got started on getting into police and hospital files.

Aomine watched over his shoulder, unconcerned despite the fact that he was a police officer watching a criminal hack into his own files. “You know, you could have just done that in the first place.” He patted the space closer to him, silently inviting Kuroko to come where he could cuddle him.

“I thought I’d try to handle it the legal way, considering I’m in a room with a police officer.” Kuroko said, not looking up from the screen, and thus not noticing the gesture.

“Mmm, I appreciate the offer, I guess.” He patted the space a bit more loudly this time, looking away and trying to feign nonchalance. “I trust you enough to know you’re not doing anything bad though.”

“You shouldn’t,” Kuroko said, scooting over a bit closer to Aomine when he heard, what sounded like, him hitting the couch.

“Hm, but you’d lose all my wonderful kisses if you broke my trust.” He slung an arm around Kuroko, pulling him even closer.

“No, I wouldn’t. You like kissing me too much,” Kuroko said absentmindedly.

“True.” Aomine kissed the side of Kuroko’s neck, proving that point. “But you also like kissing me. Thus, trust.” He glanced at the screen briefly anyway, seeing “Kagami Taiga” flashing through the screen. “You’re not doing anything bad anyway. I don’t know why we’re arguing.”

Kuroko was frowning at his screen, and switched over to hospital records, quickly starting to go through those. “I’ve got to go.” He closed his laptop and got to his feet. “I’m taking the car, I should be back in little while.”

Aomine started at that. “Wait, what? Are you actually mad at me?!” He tried to get up and ended up falling over in his haste. _“FUCK!!!”_ He felt like he’d just been pitched into a vat of lava.

Kuroko rushed back over to him. “Daiki, would you please be careful?” Kuroko’s panic caused him to slip up on the formality. He helped Aomine up and back onto the couch. “I’m not mad at you, but Kagami-kun is in the hospital,” he said, making himself calm down. “I’m going to go see him.”

“I should come with you,” Aomine pushed, trying to get up again, more carefully this time. “You might need me. What if someone comes after you?!” Desperation saturated his voice.

Kuroko gently pushed Aomine back into a sitting position. “If they do, you won’t do much good in the state you’re in. I’d have to slow down for you, since your leg is hurt.”

“I don’t need to move to aim a gun. Please, just leave me in the car or something.” Aomine’s worry was evolving into panic. Akashi had _just_ told them to lay low. Driving to a hospital was not lying low!

“No,” Kuroko said firmly. “I’ll be fine, but I need to go make sure that Kagami-kun is okay.”

“Take this at least.” In his blind panic, Aomine didn’t even realize what he was doing, forcing his gun on Kuroko again. _“Please.”_

Kuroko automatically stepped back at the sight of Aomine holding a gun out to him. “I’ll be fine without it," he tried, but he was pretty sure he was going to end up having to take it to get Aomine to let him leave.

Aomine noticed the step back, even through his worry, and finally noticed what he’d just done. “Oh, _oh,_ oh my god, oh I’m so sorry, I just…” He fumbled for the words. He really didn’t want to relive the whole incident over again but he couldn’t protect Kuroko right now and he just _really_ needed Kuroko to be safe. Ok, so maybe he could find some words after all. “...I just need you to be safe. I’m so sorry.” Aomine was absolutely crestfallen now. He’d probably fucked up enough for Kuroko not to speak to him again.

Kuroko bit his lower lip hard enough that he was worried he might draw blood before steeling his nerves and taking the gun. “Fine,” he said, because he needed Aomine to stay here and be safe.

The surprise was too great for Aomine to hide it. “Are you sure?” His stupid panic wasn’t enough for him to want to risk angering Kuroko.

“No, but I need to go, and I can’t waste time arguing with you when Kagami-kun has a bullet in his chest,” he said. He’d ditch the gun in the car, but he had to go. He gave Aomine a quick peck on the lips to try and stop him from arguing and headed for the door.

Aomine only recovered enough from _that_ surprise to whisper another “I’m sorry” before Kuroko was out the door and the sound of it closing echoed through Aomine’s head. He prayed he hadn’t just royally screwed up.

* * *

 

Kuroko left the gun in the car, and walked into the hospital. He made his way to Kagami’s room, and was surprised to see him already awake. The report had said he’d been brought in the night before, almost right after hanging up with Kuroko, but there he was, awake. “Kagami-kun,” he said to alert the other to his presence.

Kagami was too drugged out to be surprised by Kuroko’s sudden appearance. “Kuroko?” Kagami tried to blink his haze away.

“Yes, it’s me.” Kuroko said walking up to him and trying to get an idea of the damage. He couldn’t see anything through the hospital gown though. “I’m so sorry. This is my fault.”

“Huh? What is?” Kagami wasn’t sure why Kuroko was blaming himself. Then again he still wasn’t too sure where he was or what was happening.

“That you got hurt.” Kuroko said, taking the seat next to the bed.

Kagami took a few seconds to process that, “Wait, no what? This isn’t your fault. It was those guys’ fault.”

Kuroko frowned. “What guys?" he asked, wishing he’d brought his laptop with him to track whatever names Kagami could come up with.

Kagami looked up at the ceiling trying to remember what the guys looked like in the few seconds that he saw them. “Uhhh, there was a black car, and uhhh... guns, there were guns. And I think there were sunglasses?” Kagami looked back at Kuroko, clearly proud of himself for being able to remember that much.

Right. Kagami was probably heavily drugged. “It’s my fault because they went after you to get to me,” he said, looking down. “Do you remember that I told you that I made some people angry and that you needed to be careful because of it?”

“Yes?” Kagami had never more resembled a lost puppy.

“The people who shot you probably work for the person that I upset,” he said.

“Oh… Why was someone mad at you again? I mean, you can be an ass sometimes but not that much. This guy’s probably just a pissbaby.”

Kuroko gave a light laugh, despite not finding the situation funny. “I told you last night; I stole from someone, and they aren’t happy about it.”

Kagami’s face lit up, remembering the conversation, then scrunched again in worry, “Oh yeah! You stole some guys shit. Why’d you steal some guy’s shit? Do you need money? Should I give you money?!”

“No, Kagami-kun, I don’t need money. You don’t need to give me anything. You shouldn’t want to give me anything considering you just go shot because of me.”

“Then why are you stealing shit?” Kagami felt even more confused.

Kuroko sighed. “You’ve heard of the Phantom, right? Or the Ghost or shadow. The news called me a lot of different things.”

Kagami didn’t watch the news much, mainly because it was boring but he had heard of the Phantom before. Why was Kuroko calling himself the Phantom? What? Kagami shot a stunned look at Kuroko.

“I’ve started taking jobs for other people. It’s work for the police so that they can arrest criminals since they didn’t have enough to convict me. You’ve also heard of Haizaki Shougo, right?”

Kagami responded with a very intelligent, “Umm, yes?”

“I stole from him.” He probably wasn’t supposed to tell Kagami all of this, but the man had just gotten shot because of him. He couldn’t not tell him now.

While Kuroko was talking Kagami was trying really hard to remember who the hell Haizaki Shougo was. He did bad things. He remembered that. Was he a gang boss? Did he deal drugs? Wait! That was it! He dealt drugs. Why the hell would Kuroko steal that? “Why the hell did you need to steal drugs?”

“Because someone asked me to. It seemed like a challenge. Ten pounds of Molly later and Aomine-kun has been beaten up and you’ve been shot, and it’s all my fault,” he said, hanging his head.

Kagami understood the stealing part now. But he still didn’t understand why it was Kuroko’s fault. “Why is it your fault? Shouldn’t it be that Haizaki guys fault? Or the guy who told you to steal from him?”

“Because I was told the mission was dangerous, and that I shouldn’t do it, by both Aomine-kun and Akashi-kun, but I insisted on doing it. And now because he’s mad at me he’s taking it out on people I’m associated with. It’s probably to get me to go after him. That way he’ll know who I am and he’ll be able to kill me.”

Kagami was starting to wonder if Kuroko was also a little high. “But that still doesn’t make it your fault. Haizaki is just being a pissbaby. You had a job, and you did it. It’s not your fault if you were just doing your job.”

Kuroko decided not to argue with him. There was really no point in arguing with someone on pain meds. So, he forced a smile and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said.

“Damn right I am. You shouldn’t be so dumb.” Kagami gave a triumphant smile. He yawned and blinked hazy eyes at Kuroko. “If you’re not gonna be dumb anymore I think I’m gonna sleep.” He laid down and shot Kuroko a dopy smile before closing his eyes.

Kuroko’s smile was a little less forced this time. “Alright. I’m going to go then. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. They’ve got a guard outside your room, it took some effort getting in here, so you should be safe,” Kuroko said, getting to his feet.

“Okay,” he mumbled. As Kuroko turned towards the door Kagami let out a small, “Please take care of yourself.”

“I’ll try,” he promised before slipping out.

He side eyed the gun when he got into the car, but tried to ignore it as he drove back home. He deposited it in the kitchen to get it out of his hands as soon as possible when he walked in the door and walked into the living room to check on Aomine.

Aomine looked up from the TV when he heard Kuroko approaching. “Hey.” He smiled. “How’s Kagami?”

“Very stoned, but alive. He was even able to talk to me. They have a guard outside of his room, so he should be safe,” Kuroko answered, sitting down next to Aomine.

Aomine nodded, “So exactly like you when you were in the hospital. That’s good, I guess.“ He tried to position himself more comfortably to cuddle Kuroko, ignoring his pain and giving Kuroko a peck on the lips

“Yeah, exactly like I was, except it will take a lot longer to heal since he almost died.” Kuroko said, trying to be careful of Aomine’s injuries as he snuggled up against him.  

“But he’s alive. That’s the important thing.” Aomine nuzzled his face into Kuroko’s hair. “Did you run into any trouble there?”

“No. I had to get around the guard, but other than that, there was nothing to worry about.”

“Do I need to apologize again?”

“No. I understand what you were trying to do,” Kuroko told him. He wasn’t comfortable around guns before Aomine, and he was downright terrified of them now, but he did understand that Aomine had given that to him because he was worried about him, and that he hadn’t been trying to scare him this time.

“I just need you to be safe. But tell me if we have any problems. We’re insufferable when we stop talking to each other.”

“We aren’t having any problems right now. I’m still talking to you,” Kuroko assured him.

“Mmmm, good.” Aomine absentmindedly rubbed circles into Kuroko’s skin. “Can you just sit with me now? I kind of hurt still… a lot.”

“Of course I can sit with you.” He would have rested his head on Aomine’s chest, but he was worried about the injured ribs.

“Mmm…” They sat there, in companionable silence and Aomine waited until he could feel Kuroko’s breathing even out and his body go limp. “I love you,” he whispered to the man asleep in his arms.


	14. Finally

Haizaki’s smile was absolutely lethal as he strolled up to his workers. “This Phantom is going to leave me without any employees,” he announced before shooting one of the four. “Now, do you know why I just did that?” he asked the other three, who were now cowering in front of him.

“N-no, sir,” one stammered out when it appeared that Haizaki was waiting for an actual answer.

“The firefighter is still alive.” He grinned and shot the one who had answered.

“But we hit his chest!”

Another bullet. Only one left standing. Haizaki's smile dropped. “That’s not good enough. Notice that I’ve shot all of your friends in the head. I’d tell you to try that next time—if I believed in second chances.” He pulled the trigger again.

Apparently, if he wanted anything done right, he’d have to do it himself. He wouldn’t be able to trust anyone else to bring him the Phantom’s head.

* * *

 “You know, getting beaten up and having to lay low is kind of nice when I get a cuddle buddy out of it.” Aomine pulled Kuroko closer to him in the bed. “Does that mean this is _our_ room now?”

Kuroko made a little sound of protest at being moved, trying to bury himself further under the blankets. “Not if you’re going to talk when I’m sleeping,” he tried to say, but it didn’t really come out sounding like words.

Aomine understood the gist of it and simply scooted closer—with only a whispered hiss as his still healing limbs protested—and cocooned Kuroko within his arms, drifting off for a bit more sleep after placing a kiss to the shock of blue hair that peeked out from under the covers.

Kuroko got up about two hours later, wiggling out of Aomine’s arms to stumble out of the bed, looking around blearily before realizing that he wasn’t in in his own room.  

Aomine sleepily opened his eyes in response to the sudden absence of warmth and complained, “It’s supposed to be a _lazy_ day,” before attempting to go back to bed.

Kuroko may not be that good about waking up either, as shown when Aomine tried to talk to him earlier in the morning, but he still got up earlier than the detective. “And it will be for _you_. You’re still recovering. I, on the other hand, still have missions to take care of,” he said, pulling out one of Aomine’s shirts from his closet.

“What part of ‘laying low’ don’t you understand?” Aomine grumbled, the oncoming debate bringing him out from the throes of sleep.

“I always lay low when I do jobs. That’s the whole point of the nicknames that I keep hearing,” Kuroko argued, slipping the shirt on.

“You know, I don’t exactly want to rehash old arguments, but you do understand this revisits the whole ‘I’m coming with you’ thing? Also, your injured arm? Not as able as your other arm yet. Wait a bit. At least until my leg heals.” Aomine had sat up during his rebuttal, shifting to edge around the bed and get dressed as well.

“What if I get Akashi-kun to come with me?” Kuroko wasn’t sure if he could do that, but he would try if it would get Aomine to let him go.

“Go ahead and try. We both know he’ll say no.”

“He might say yes. He likes me more than you after all,” Kuroko said, pulling out his phone and texting Akashi.

“He might also learn to fly. Let me know when he does. In the meantime, you’ll be staying here and _actually_ laying low.” Since he had narrowly avoided a fracture in his leg, he could manage to stand and walk with varying degrees of pain. He shuffled around the room, collecting his clothes and sat back on the bed, shooting Kuroko a quick glare to convey where he stood on his side of the argument, then began dressing for the day.

Kuroko almost didn’t notice his phone vibrating with a new message because he was watching Aomine, but tore his gaze away to see what Akashi had said, talking to Aomine as he did so. “You know, I don’t think I’ve been in a relationship with someone for this long without having sex since high school. Are we even in a relationship? We haven’t really talked about that,” he said, frowning at the simple _No._ he had received from Akashi.

“I sure hope we are. Otherwise, my love life is an absolute train wreck.”

“Then my statement stands. Also, he said no.”

“Well, you know, that’s a valid argument, and, as much as I would love to end this little dry spell of ours, I’d recommend waiting until I can actually move as well as I’d like.”

“I wasn’t saying that we needed to right now. I just thought about it because you were being distracting by changing in front of me.”

“Mm, well, I could be much more distracting,” Aomine replied, reaching out and grabbing Kuroko, pulling him so he straddled Aomine on the bed. “Would you like a demonstration?”

Kuroko let out a surprised squeak when he was pulled from his standing position into Aomine’s lap, wrapping his arms around the other automatically to keep from falling. He really did want to take Aomine up on that offer, but... “I don’t want you to hurt yourself more,” Kuroko told him. “When you’re healed. I only mentioned it because you made me think about it and I wanted clarification on what we are,” he said, carefully moving to get out of Aomine’s lap.

Aomine sighed dramatically. “Tease.”

“You love it,” Kuroko answered, swaying his hips a little more than necessary to draw attention to his ass as he walked out of Aomine’s room and to the kitchen.

Aomine watched Kuroko go with an expression of need on his face. “I really do.” He sighed for real this time. He was well and truly hooked. He followed Kuroko to the kitchen to be as unnecessarily clingy as possible.

* * *

 It had been a few days since he had last visited Kagami when his phone started ringing with Kagami’s number. “Hello? Is everything okay?”

“Kuroko, how high was I when you visited the other day? Did you visit? Or did I imagine you telling me you were a thief that stole from one of the most dangerous men in the country? And that you’re working with the other most dangerous man in the country?” Kagami sounded slightly panicked.

Kuroko sat up from where he had been leaning against Aomine on the couch, and got up to walk into the kitchen. “You did not imagine that.”

“That’s kinda what I was hoping you wouldn’t say.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Are you hurt too?”

“No more than I was the last time I saw you. My arm still hurts quite a bit, but it’s recovering nicely. Haizaki doesn’t know what I look like, so he hasn’t been able to do anything to me yet.”

“Ok, at least that’s something to ease my blood pressure. I hope you’re okay with me throwing a crap ton of questions at you ‘cause I don’t care and I’m doing it anyway.”

“You got shot because of me. You’re allowed to ask me questions,” Kuroko said.

“First of all, are you sure you can trust Akashi? He’s fucking dangerous. Are you being protected by the police? Why the hell did you become a fucking thief, you dumbass?”

“Oi, is that Eyebrows? Ask if the nurses are hot if you’re gonna be an ass and ditch me.”

Kuroko poked his head back into the living room to make a ‘be quiet’ gesture at Aomine, before ducking back into the kitchen and starting to answer the questions.

“Yes, I can trust Akashi-kun. Aomine-kun is a police officer, but he’s kind of hurt so I wouldn’t really say that I am. And because I was bored,” he answered in the order he was asked.

“‘Kay, I’ll take your word about Akashi. You usually have good judgement when it’s about people but don’t you have any other cops with you? That guy looked kinda like an idiot. I don’t know if I can trust him. And who the fuck starts up a life of crime out of boredom?” Kagami couldn’t believe Kuroko would be so stupid.

“I do not have any other cops with me. It might blow our cover to bring in anyone else,” Kuroko told him. Aomine would also probably be fired for letting him get away with as much as he did if someone else came in. “Also, the answer to your last question is very obvious. Me. I just told you that that’s what I did.”

Kagami sighed. He really didn’t need Kuroko being a smartass right now. “You’re an ass, y’know that? Are you laying low right now?”

“Why are you talking so much to this guy?” Aomine interrupted, “Is it Eyebrows? You never answered. Tell him he doesn’t need to know all that crap. He’s nosy.”

“He deserves to know, Aomine-kun. He got shot because of me,” Kuroko told the other man before returning his attention to the phone. “We are laying low at the moment. I want to go out and do another mission, but Aomine-kun won’t let me go alone and Akashi-kun is too busy to go with me.”

Aomine and Kagami both simultaneously yelled, “It’s not your fault.” Apparently the only thing the both of them could agree on.

Kuroko flinched at the yelling in his ear. “Okay,” he agreed quietly to make the yelling stop.

“Well, as long as he can keep you safe I won’t complain. You should also probably try relying on him more. There are some things even you can’t handle.”

Kuroko groaned. “It’s like there’s two of him. He’s more injured than I am. If anyone needs help, it’s him,” he complained.

Kagami should’ve expected that answer. “Still, you can’t do everything by yourself. I know you think you can, but at least try to let him help you. He can’t be all that bad if you’re both still alive, I guess.”

Kuroko gave a small smile, even though Kagami couldn't see it. “Yeah, he’s really not that bad. I’d even go so far as to say he’s half-decent,” Kuroko said.

“Oi, I hear you talking shit about me over there,” Aomine protested.

Kagami, on the other hand, recognized the statement for the confession it was. In Kuroko language, that probably meant he was head over heels for the guy. “If you say so. Well, I’m gonna try and eat something from the god-awful food selection they have here. Stay safe. I’ll talk to you later.”

“I’ll sneak in something for you to eat later,” Kuroko promised before hanging up and walking into the living room. “‘Talking shit’ about you? I would _never_ ,” Kuroko denied, settling back down onto the couch.

“Look at you, using the big boy words,” Aomine teased, reaching out to bring Kuroko closer. “It’s okay, I’ll forgive you anyway.”

“You’re a child,” Kuroko said flatly, moving closer anyway.

* * *

Kuroko was practically bouncing with excitement. After days of laying low, Aomine was finally letting him go on a heist. It had been two days since Kagami’s call, and while it was nice to hang around the apartment with Aomine; Kuroko was bored. He was sitting in the living room with stacks of binders surrounding him as he he sorted through them for the most interesting of his plans that he thought Aomine would actually allow. He was trying to sort them by levels of risk and how likely he was to get to go on them when Aomine dragged himself out of his room.

Aomine stopped at the sight of the binders threatening to flood the apartment. “...You know, I did say _one_ job, right? And I’m pretty sure this is about twenty times the planning of Haizaki’s building…” Aomine just stared, too stunned to move past the entrance of the living room.

“These are all from when I was injured and you wouldn’t let me do anything. And from you being injured and not letting me do anything. This is how I passed the time. Now I’m trying to pick one. Start looking through those ones,” he said, pointing at the stack that he was pretty sure Aomine would let him do. It was starting to waver in a way that gave the impression that it would fall over if anything was moved.

“If I so much as walk near that monstrosity of a pile, we will drown in paper, Tetsu.” Aomine eyed the stack warily. This was too much for the morning. Maybe if he went back to bed, he’d find this was all a really stupid dream.

“We will not. Now, tell me which one I can do.” He added another binder to the stack. It wobbled a bit, and Kuroko kept his eyes on it until it steadied before returning to going through the other binders.

Aomine sighed. He might as well get it over with. He approached the teetering stack as slowly as possible and reached his hand forward to grab just the top binder… toppling the entire tower over in the process. Aomine heaved an even bigger sigh. “That was _not_ my fault. For the guy who complained about the mess of my apartment, you seem to have cluttering this place down to a science.” Aomine stared at the mess of binders around him, ignoring the pain in his leg from the ones that had smashed into it. “I need to sit down. I’ll give you moral support while you clean this shit up.” He flashed Kuroko a thumbs up and half-limped to the safety of the kitchen.

“I’m taking that as permission to pick whichever one I want since you won’t look through them.” Kuroko called after him, before he started to rebuild his stack that Aomine had knocked over. He carefully lifted one off the top before putting it back on. “I don’t know what he’s complaining about. It’s perfectly doable,” he muttered.

“ _You’re_ perfectly doable as well. And yet, I’m getting so much trouble on that end too,” Aomine called from the kitchen. “Do you want coffee? I need caffeine to look through that garbage dump of plans.”

“It’s not _my_ fault that you’re having trouble with that. Try not to get beaten up. If you weren’t injured, we could have been having sex a while ago,” Kuroko answered. “But I’ve already had four cups of coffee, so I should probably say no to that offer.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll probably need the whole pot anyway.” Aomine leaned across the counter that overlooked the living room from the kitchen. “Can you please make a stack that _won’t_ attack me?”

Kuroko rolled his eyes, but separated it into two stacks. “The big scary cop can’t handle a few binders.”

“The big asshole thief might just get stuck with a boring job if he keeps up that attitude.” Aomine had his back turned to Kuroko, pouring out the coffee, but he stuck his tongue out anyway.

“You knew I had this attitude from the beginning. Don’t start complaining about it now,” Kuroko replied. “You should be safe from the binders now.”

“Thank you very much, sassy.” Aomine idly flipped through the stack. They were pretty much the same thing—jewels, a techy building, and some hardcore bodyguards. Typical jobs. “Choose any of them. They’re all pretty tame.”

Well, that was because he wanted to actually be allowed to go. He started flipping through them before settling on one that was mostly hacking since it was an electronics company. “This one,” he said, passing it to Aomine.

“Mmm, sure.” It looked simple. “When?”

“As soon as you’re ready to leave.” Kuroko replied, taking it back and scanning it one last time to make sure he remembered everything about it.

He knew it. He downed his coffee and went to the kitchen to fill a cup for the road. “You know, I kinda wish I was more surprised.” They left the apartment and headed to the car without much more conversation, until Aomine saw Kuroko heading for the driver’s seat.

“You know, I’d also like to drive to the site one of these days.”

“Sounds like a personal problem,” Kuroko said as he opened the door to the driver’s side.

Aomine sighed. “Still not surprised.”

* * *

 Aomine’s head jerked up for the third time that day. “I’M AWAKE,” he shouted, startling Kuroko. He surveyed the roads outside his passenger side window. They were driving back to the apartment from the heist. “...Well that was an exciting day, huh?”

Kuroko rolled his eyes. “You and I have different definitions of exciting.” He pulled over next to a fire hydrant and stuck a laptop bag he’d stolen onto it before getting back in and finishing the drive.

Aomine stretched, trying to will the sleepiness away. “Alright, so it was a bit… uneventful. That’s a good thing anyway. We’ve only _just_ recovered. Too much excitement too quickly wouldn’t be good for us.”

“I disagree. I think excitement would be very good for me.” Kuroko argued.

Aomine hummed mischievously. “How much excitement?” He slid a hand along Kuroko’s thigh, resting it there.

“Aomine-kun, I am driving,” Kuroko deadpanned, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Sounds like a personal problem,” Aomine mocked, sliding his hand further along.

“Aomine-kun, this is dangerous. How many car crashes have you had to go to as a police officer?”

“I’m a detective, thank you very much. So not many.” Aomine leaned over the console that separated them. “And I guess you’d just better make sure you keep driving.”

“If we crash, I hope it’s on your side of the car,” Kuroko said, but he was steadily speeding up the car to get home faster.

“You know, that’s a bit rude. Maybe I should stop?” Aomine paused, his hand just barely grazing Kuroko’s fly.

“If you stop, I will make sure that I _do_ hit something on your side.”

“Hmmm, that’s a convincing argument. Let me think about that.” He rested his hand so it was lying flat against Tetsu’s crotch but didn’t move it, enjoying the hiss Kuroko tried to hide.

Kuroko’s hips bucked up to try and get some form of friction, biting his lower lip as he tried to keep his focus on the road.

“Tetsu! That’s _dangerous_.” Aomine drew out the word, enjoying getting Kuroko riled up, but also feeling his own arousal growing. “What if we crash?” he taunted, slipping his hand beneath Tetsu’s waistband, and _squeezing_.

Kuroko gasped, his foot slamming down on the gas pedal as he went around a corner.

Aomine had to brace himself with his hands, hissing at the sudden impact with the still-healing slice in his palm. “You know, that actually hurt a bit.”

“You deserved it,” Kuroko muttered. He could see their apartment building. He weighed the pros and cons of flooring it again, but decided against it.

“Then you deserve _this_.” Aomine leaned over once more to nibble on Kuroko’s ear and trail hot kisses down his neck. “Eyes on the road, Tetsu.”

“We’re going to die, and it’s going to be your fault,” Kuroko told him, but didn’t push him away like he probably should have.

“Ah, but you’re going to die such a happy man,” Aomine shot back, licking his way back up to Kuroko’s ear and biting before whispering, “Maybe you should drive a little faster, _Tetsuya_.”

Kuroko may have gone a little too fast when entering their parking space, but he didn’t hit anything, so it probably didn’t matter. As soon as the car was parked, he unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to Aomine, pressing their mouths together.

Aomine grabbed Tetsu, lifting him over the console and settling him in his lap so he could thrust up against Tetsu.“Ha… Car sex… kinky,” Aomine managed to tease between kisses.

“Depends, do you happen to keep lube in the car?” Kuroko asked, grinding down against Aomine.

Aomine groaned into Tetsu’s mouth. “You know, I’m starting to wish I did right about now.” He moved his mouth to nip at Kuroko’s collarbone.

“We should probably go inside then.”

Aomine grinned against Tetsu’s neck. “As you wish.” He lifted Kuroko up, forcing the thief to wrap his legs around Aomine and fumbled for the door, still pressing kisses to Kuroko’s skin.

Neither man remembered how they managed to get out of the car and up to the apartment, but somehow they made it to the door, never once breaking their embrace.

“Remember when I told you that when you saw me without clothes on would be right before you fucked me?” Kuroko breathed against Aomine’s mouth. “Get my clothes off of me.”

Aomine grinned. “Mm, bossy.” He walked them to his room, stripping off his and Kuroko’s shirts on the way. He sealed Kuroko’s lips with his own for a deep kiss before they tumbled onto Aomine’s bed. Aomine panted, regaining his breath as he looked down on a rumpled Tetsu. “I really love the view right now.”

“You’re about to love it even more,” Kuroko said, shoving his pants down before wrapping his arms around Aomine and leaning up to kiss him again.

Aomine growled into his mouth, nipping at Tetsu’s bottom lip and sliding a hand down to cup his ass, supporting his body weight with his other arm. “ _Fuck… yes_.”

Kuroko rocked his hips up against Aomine’s, reaching down and pulling Aomine’s shorts down as well. He leaned back a little bit to take in the view.

Aomine’s grin was feral. “You gonna do anything, Tetsu, or just watch me?” He reached down to grasp the base of his cock, firmly stroking it.

Kuroko arched an eyebrow at the challenge, and flipped them, before lowering himself between Aomine’s legs. He moved Aomine’s hand out of the way, and licked along the length of Aomine’s cock. “Is this what you had in mind, Daiki?” he asked, looking up at Aomine through his lashes.

Aomine moaned, unable to respond for a bit. “I don’t know. What else ya got?” he taunted.

Kuroko wrapped his lips around the tip of Aomine’s cock, swirling his tongue around before taking more into his mouth.

Aomine unconsciously thrust forward, fisting a hand in Kuroko’s hair. “ _Fuck_ , Tetsu.”

If Kuroko’s mouth hadn’t been preoccupied he would have said “That’s the idea.” However, he was trying not to choke when Aomine thrust forward. He recovered quickly, starting to move his mouth up and down, swirling his tongue around Aomine.

Aomine bunched the sheets beneath him, moaning in pleasure and bucking his hips again. “Shit, Tetsu… haa… lube… want… inside…” He moaned again when Testu sucked.

Kuroko pulled off of Aomine’s cock, wiping his mouth. “Where do you keep it?” he asked, wrapping his hand around Aomine and lazily stroking while he waited for an answer.

“...Side drawer…” Aomine huffed out.

Kuroko climbed off of Aomine so that he could reach the the drawer. He dug through it until he found what he was looking for and handed it to Aomine. “Fuck me, Daiki,” he ordered.

Aomine snatched the tube from his hands, uncapped it and coated his fingers thoroughly. “Turn over,” he ordered.

Kuroko did as he was told, despite wanting to continue to look at Aomine.

Pressing slick fingers against the rim of Tetsu’s ass. Aomine caressed the ring of muscle before pushing in as gently as possible. “Okay?” he questioned.

Kuroko nodded, biting his lower lip to keep a moan from leaving him as he got used to the feeling.

Relieved, Aomine pressed in deeper, searching for that tiny spot that would have Tetsu seeing stars.

Kuroko moaned out Aomine’s name, arching his back. “Fuck... _more_... Daiki!” he exclaimed.

Grin plastered on his face, Aomine wriggled in a second finger while stroking the back of Tetsu’s thigh with his other hand. He shifted, slipping his arm around Tetsu’s waist and tugging him against his chest. Hiss leaving his lips when it pulled at the wound on his hand. “Tetsu,” he ground out. “Change of plans.”

“What?” Kuroko gasped out. “That change had better not involve us stopping.”

A huff of laughter left Aomine’s lips while he slipped both fingers out and spoke against Kuroko’s back, “No fucking way. Hand being a pain in the ass. Get on top of me instead,” he finished, settling against the headboard and motioning for Kuroko to come closer.

Kuroko moved to Aomine’s lap. He settled over his cock before sinking down onto it, a small hiss leaving him as he grew accustomed to the feeling.

“Fuck, Tetsu!” Aomine swore, caught completely by surprise. “Warning would’ve been nice there.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time,” Kuroko told him, before lifting himself up and going back down again, throwing his head back to let out a moan.

Aomine bit his lip, stifling any noises that would’ve slipped out otherwise. Placing his hands on either side of Tetsu’s hips, he eased back down and dug the heel of his feet into the mattress for leverage so he could thrust up.

“Fuck, Daiki, oh _fuck_!” Kuroko leaned back so that he could turn his head to suck on Aomine’s pulse point, licking the mark he made after.

Tipping his head back with a loud groan, he squeezed both eyes shut and breathed heavily through his mouth. Ignoring the sting in his palm, he sped up the pace of his thrusts.

Kuroko wrapped his hand around his cock, quickly moving it up and down in time with Aomine’s thrust. “Dai-Daiki!”

Stuck between wanting to close his eyes and wanting to continue watching Tetsu, Aomine opted for the latter. “Close,” he gasped out.

Kuroko nodded in agreement. If he opened his mouth, he was sure all that would come out would be a moan. He started pumping his hand faster until he finally came with a loud cry of Aomine’s name.

Aomine winced, then swore as he felt his release wash over him unexpectedly a couple seconds after Tetsu’s. He sighed, face pressed against the crown of Kuroko’s head.

Kuroko moved off of Aomine after a few moments to ride out his orgasm. He grabbed some tissues and cleaned them both off before curling up against Aomine’s side. Before drifting off to sleep, Kuroko mumbled a small “Finally.”

Aomine faintly registered the word, muttering his response when he was sure Tetsu couldn’t hear him, well asleep. “Worth the wait. I love you.” He pressed a tender kiss to Kuroko’s forehead before drifting off to sleep as well, his arms wrapped protectively around the man he loved.


	15. Princess

“Morning, beautiful.” Aomine smiled down at Tetsu who was just waking up. “Wakey, wakey.” He leaned down for a soft kiss.

“Good morning,” Kuroko mumbled, looking sleepily up at Aomine. “What time is it?” he asked around a yawn.

“I dunno,” Aomine answered, enjoying Kuroko’s drowsy search for a clock. “Haven’t looked. I was a bit distracted.”

“Hmm? By what?” Kuroko had given up on the clock and was cuddling up against Aomine again, starting to drift back to sleep.

Aomine pretended to think about that before stealing another kiss. “ _You_ , dummy. Do you know how adorable you look in the morning?” Aomine flicked a wayward bunch of hair that stuck up from Kuroko’s head. “You have some extremely interesting bedhead right now.”

“My bedhead is always interesting,” Kuroko informed him. “I’m offended that you only think it is right now.”

Aomine wrapped Kuroko in his arms, settling back down to cuddle the man more easily. “Hmm, maybe I haven’t seen it enough then.” He pressed a kiss to Kuroko’s crown. “I guess you’ll have to sleep here more often.” He smiled against his forehead.

“I can do that,” he mumbled, moving his head to rest on Aomine’s chest. “Now, shh, I’m sleepy.” He blindly searched for Aomine’s mouth with his hand, putting a finger over his lips in a shushing motion when he found it.

Aomine smiled a bit more and caught Kuroko’s finger with his mouth, wrapping his lips around it and sucking lightly. “Are you sure you don’t want to wake up with me?” He rubbed circles into Kuroko’s hip with one hand.

Kuroko opened his eyes to look blurrily at Aomine. “No fair,” he whined.

“Completely fair,” Aomine shot back. “You are impossibly sexy in the morning and you expect me to go back to sleep. That’s just downright cruel.”

“If you let me sleep for another hour, we can have shower sex,” Kuroko bargained.

“Mmm,” Aomine nibbled on Kuroko’s ear and spoke against his skin. “Y’know, you drive a hard bargain.” He closed Kuroko’s mouth with his own for a deep kiss. “I suppose that will be enough to tide me over.” And he flopped back on his side of the bed, removing his arms from around Kuroko and enjoying the little sounds of protest that followed. “G’night,” he called over his shoulder.

Kuroko moved over to Aomine’s side of the bed, pressing his chest against Aomine’s back. “Don’t leave. You’re warm,” he complained, hiding his face against Aomine’s back and trying to get back to sleep.

Aomine smiled, grabbing Kuroko’s hands and wrapping them around his stomach before closing his eyes.

* * *

 Kuroko poured coffee into two cups for them while Aomine worked on breakfast after their shower that morning. “So, what time do we leave today?” he asked, placing one of the coffees on the counter next to Aomine.

“After breakfast.” Aomine frowned at the eggs in the pan, wondering if they were done yet.

Kuroko nodded. “Alright. By the way, you should take those out before you burn them,” he added, after peeking around Aomine at the eggs in the pan.

Aomine hurriedly grabbed plates to dole out the eggs. “Um, I knew that. I like them… a little burnt?”

“You don’t. The last time you burnt them, we got donuts on the way to a job and you got mad at me for laughing at a cop eating donuts,” Kuroko replied, taking his plate.

“You know what? Tastes change,” Aomine humphed out. He didn’t need to be reminded of that.

“They change in a week?” Kuroko asked skeptically.

“They change right now! I’ve decided I don’t like burnt eggs anymore.” Aomine crossed his arms. “Look at what you’ve done now. You forced me to unlike burnt eggs. What a horrible person.”

“Well, I am a criminal. I think cops are supposed to think I’m a horrible person,” Kuroko said, sitting down and starting to eat.

“Maybe I should bring out my cuffs then.”

“Maybe tonight. We’ve got a job today.” Kuroko winked at him and then went back to his food.

 _I’m in love._ Aomine grinned, bringing his own plate over and joining Kuroko at the kitchen table. “Does that mean I get to see your bedhead tomorrow?”

“I’m hoping that you’ll be seeing it quite often.”

* * *

 Kuroko was creeping silently through the building of his latest hit when he heard something not quite right through the headset. He frowned, but assumed Aomine was just moving around, and kept walking. If he started talking right then, he might find himself in trouble.

And then he felt his blood run cold as a voice that definitely wasn’t Aomine’s came through his headset. “Hello, Phantom.”

* * *

It had taken a while to set up. The jobs that the Phantom took seemed to be hit or miss. He didn’t take everything given to him, so just slipping in one job wasn’t enough. And he didn’t tell if he was taking the job or not until after he had gotten whatever he was supposed to steal.

Haizaki watched the jobs he took, picking up on a pattern until he was finally able to craft a job for him.

The Phantom wasn’t the only one who could hack. He got someone into the cameras across the street and watched as a van pulled in. The partner stepped out and into the back, and Haizaki thought he saw a flash of something blue, but lost sight of it.

He waited a few minutes before he made his move, bringing two people with him for some extra muscle. They knocked out the Phantom’s partner as soon as they got in and Haizaki grinned when he noticed a headset. So, he was talking to the Phantom right then, huh?

Sure, he could try to track down the Phantom, but it would be so much better if he could get the little pest to just come to him instead. With that in mind, he told one of the men to start driving towards his building and picked up the headset. “Hello, Phantom. You’ve caused me a lot of problems,” he said into the mouthpiece.  

* * *

Kuroko recognized the voice immediately. He’d watched plenty of news clips about Haizaki and heard him smooth talk his way out of trouble several times. “What did you do to him?” Kuroko asked, slipping behind a door and into an abandoned room to keep from being heard.

Haizaki chuckled. The Phantom was more soft spoken than he expected. Interesting. “Hmm? Who knows. Is he still breathing? I wonder. Maybe he’s filled with bullet holes now. Really who's to say.” He hadn’t actually done more than knock the guy out but that didn’t mean he couldn’t mess with Mr. Phantom a bit.

“If he’s dead you won’t get anything from me,” Kuroko gritted out, the words dripping with acid.

At least now he knew the Phantom actually cared about the blue-haired dead weight. That meant everything was going according to plan. He chuckled. “Relax, Prince Charming. Your damsel in distress is still alive. For now. You want him? You’re gonna have to come get him.”

“Where?” Kuroko didn’t even hesitate. He knew it was a trap. Of course it was. But Aomine was in danger and he had to do something.

Like a moth to a flame. This guy was too easy. “At my building. You should know it pretty well considering you had no trouble inviting yourself in the first time.”

“Your building is rather extensive. Is there anywhere in particular I should be?” He knew that building like the back of his hand after all the planning. He was hoping that he would be able to pull this off just like any other heist. Only, this time, the thing he was stealing was Aomine.

“You found the treasure last time. It’s a new hunt. Where’s the challenge if I mark the spot?”

“Did you take my van too?” Kuroko asked, trying to figure out how long it would take him to get to the Haizaki building.

“I did. Ya better start running if you wanna make it here before I decide your blueberry princess isn’t fun to play with anymore.”

Kuroko ditched the headset, and started making his way out of the building. As soon as he was out he closed his eyes and envisioned a map of the area for the fastest way to get to Haizaki’s building. After so many jobs, he pretty much had every road in the city memorized for different escape routes. He opened his eyes and hooked a left, starting to run towards his destination.

* * *

Haizaki knelt down to be at eye level with the Phantom’s partner when he saw the man starting to stir in the chair he was tied to. “Morning, Princess. You’re just in time. Your knight in shining armour should be arriving anytime now,” he said with a grin. “But you’ll entertain me until he gets here, right?”

Aomine grimaced as he came to. A face full of Haizaki Shougo was not something he ever wanted to wake to. “Sorry, Mister. You’re not my type.” Aomine shot Haizaki an uninterested look, mentally mapping the room he was being held in as much as he could in the dim light.

“No, I’m not, am I? You’re type is theives with soft voices who come running as soon as they hear you’re in even the slightest bit of danger, right? I still can’t decide if I’m going to make you watch him die before I kill you, or make him watch you die before I kill him. What do you think?”

“I think you have unoriginal plans. Who knew mob bosses were so cliche?” Aomine internally panicked. Tetsu was most definitely not a fighter. He needed to get out of here before he had to save them both.

“Has anyone ever told you that you suck at hiding your emotions?” Haizaki asked with a smirk. “I can see the fear in your eyes. You know your little thief is going to die here if you can’t get out just as well as I know it. After all, the Phantom is only known for stealing things. Not fighting. Does he even know how to shoot a gun?”

The word “gun” set Aomine’s mind on fire. He would not let Tetsu hold another gun. Not in this lifetime. “Are you sure that’s what I’m scared of? You’re a bit close here, buddy. I’m terrified of the rabies I might contract from you.”

Haizaki’s eyes lit up with amusement. “He doesn’t, does he?” Haizaki stood up straight and let out a loud laugh. “Oh, this is _great_. He’s basically going to be unarmed when he gets here then. I’ve decided. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when I kill you.”

Aomine smiled. “I can’t wait to see _your_ disappointment then.” He tested his bonds behind the chair he was tied to, a smug grin on his face to distract from the movement.

Haizaki held up his hand to tell Aomine to wait a moment as his phone started ringing. “Hmm, well this just got interesting," he said, hanging up. “He’s stolen a gun from one of my employees. Your little thief has a wicked right hook apparently. He didn’t shoot the guy though, so more work for me later. You know, it’s that kind of thing that lets someone know how willing someone is to actually use a gun, and when they’re bluffing.” He pulled out a switchblade, flicking it open, and walking around behind Aomine, letting it cut deep into his prisoner's arm as he passed.

Aomine hissed in pain but managed to stave off any other reactions. Thank god he hadn’t undone the ropes yet. “Enjoying the view? Sorry, it ain’t free,” he spat out when he could feel his damn arm again. The bum arm was gonna be a bitch to work with though. He needed to escape now before Tetsu actually had to use the stupid gun.

“Don’t worry, Princess, you’re not my type either.” Haizaki assured, playing with the knife as he waited.

Aomine smiled, leaning his head back to look up at Haizaki. “Your type is whores. You don’t have much of a type, hon.”

“And your type is criminals. I don’t think you have much room to talk. At least when a whore steals from me, she’s easier to kill.” He placed the knife on Aomine’s throat, now exposed from looking up at him.

Aomine froze, holding his breath so the knife didn’t pierce his skin. He didn’t dare speak, but he shot Haizaki a glare that held all the hatred he felt for him.

* * *

Kuroko made it into the building easily enough. He didn’t have anything to hack the cameras with since the van was stolen, but he could work with that. He had walked right into the Akashi building after all. It occurred to him that he probably should have called Akashi, but he didn’t want to blow Akashi’s cover too.

He’d need a weapon. That much was clear. He couldn’t go into this defenseless when someone was waiting for him to show up.

Kuroko decided that he liked ignite passes more as a way to hurt people, because he was pretty sure punching one of the guards in the face hurt him almost as much as the guard. He refused to let himself hesitate when taking the man’s gun. He thought about Aomine in trouble, and how he needed to save him, and made himself pick it up, before he continued.

Kuroko checked every room he went past, barely cracking the door open to keep from being seen.

Until he reached the one Aomine was being kept in. And there was no way he was just going to get in and then out. Because Haizaki was holding a knife up against Aomine’s throat, watching the door and waiting for him.

“Well well, looks like your knight has arrived, Princess."


	16. Broken Men

Kuroko walked into the room with his gun held up, steadfastly ignoring that his hands were shaking as he pointed it at Haizaki. “Your issue is with me. Not him. Let him go,” Kuroko ordered.

Haizaki laughed. This was so funny he might just die from hilarity. “ _You’re_ the Phantom?” he asked between breaths. He turned to Aomine. “ _This_ cotton candy midget is the Phantom? The one that apparently no one can see? No wonder no one can see him. He’s so fucking puny.”

Kuroko could feel irritation mixing in with his panic now. Why was it that everyone he encountered seemed to be giants? He was average height. It didn’t matter though. Not when there was a knife to Aomine’s throat. “Just let him go,” Kuroko said, ignoring the digs at his height.

He stopped laughing long enough to respond, “And what are you gonna do about it if I don’t?” He moved his knife towards Aomine’s collarbone and made a slow, deep cut. “You’ve got a better chance of shooting yourself than me. You can barely hold that gun in place.” Haizaki threw his head back to laugh and directed a feral grin at Kuroko. “Maybe you should put on them big boy shoes, shortcake.”

In his position, Aomine still couldn’t risk moving his head to look at Kuroko—that knife was still a bit too close to his throat for his liking. He willed Kuroko to leave. _Those taunts are nothing. Leave, please, Tetsu!_

“I’ll shoot you. If you hurt him, I’ll shoot you,” Kuroko threatened, desperately trying to steady his hands.

“Really now? If I hurt him?” He moved to dig his knife into Aomine’s thigh, dragging the knife through his leg and _twisting_ after making a cut about three inches long. “You mean like _this?”_

Aomine let out a bloodcurdling scream, releasing all of his pent up protests in that one primal shriek, before dropping his head back down, panting and trying to breathe through the pain. He raised his head long enough to send Kuroko a desperate look. “Tetsu…” he panted out, _“run.”_

Kuroko let a bullet fly, but with his hands shaking, it didn’t even come close to hitting Haizaki, and the kick from the gun forced him to take a step back.

“Ooooh, _scary_. That could’ve hurt someone. Good thing you weren’t really trying to hit anyone, right? Or are you really just _that_ bad at this?” He moved behind the chair again, twirling his knife before jabbing it down into Aomine’s tricep.

Aomine bit down hard enough to draw blood, trying to muffle his screams. Tetsu needed to go. “Move, Tetsuya! _MOVE!!!”_

Kuroko could feel the tears forming in his eyes as he watched Aomine writhe in pain. And with Haizaki standing behind him, he couldn’t shoot without the chance that he'd hit Aomine. Just trying to keep the gun aimed at Haizaki meant he was also aiming it at Aomine, and he’d thought he’d never have to do that again. It didn't help that Haizaki just kept taunting. "Careful, cupcake. Wouldn't wanna hurt the princess now would ya?" Kuroko gritted his teeth. He couldn't allow his hands to shake any more or he might accidentally pull the trigger. He saw the fire in Aomine's gaze and nearly cried at the fierce protection he saw there. Kuroko wasn't even the one in the chair being tortured, but Aomine was still trying to protect him by telling Kuroko to abandon him.

“I can’t! I’m not leaving you here!” he shouted at Aomine, and then turned his eyes back to Haizaki. “Let him go. You took him to get to me, so just kill me then. Let. Him. _Go.”_

Haizaki chuckled. He was having way too much fun with this brat. “Now why would I do that? I’m not done playing yet, and you wouldn’t want to end our play date so early now, would you?” He rested his chin on top of Aomine’s head, twisting the knife still embedded in his arm.

Kuroko took two steps closer to try and get a better aim, but Haizaki was still too close to Aomine. “If it’s about the drugs, I can steal twice as much for you.”

Haizaki drew out a gun from his belt holster, and shot the ground by Kuroko’s feet. “Now where do you think you’re going? I never said you could come closer. And as for the Molly—well it was never really about the drugs, now was it? That shit’s replaceable. This is about you thinking that you can disrespect _me_.” He shot Aomine in the thigh. “And that’s not really how this game is suppose to work, now is it?” He then moved the gun to point at Aomine’s temple.

Aomine froze, but his eyes flickered from the sight of the gun to Tetsu’s face, still willing him to leave. Tetsu didn’t need to die too.

Kuroko’s hands weren’t shaking anymore. Seeing the gun pointed at Aomine’s head steeled his nerves, numbing his mind enough for the panic to ease and his sight to clear, so that he could take aim at Haizaki’s head. His finger squeezed the trigger and he watched as everything seemed to slow down. A hole formed in Haizaki’s head, the grey-haired man dropped his gun, and fell to the floor—that smug grin finally wiped off his face.

For a moment, Kuroko could only look between the gun in his hand and the body on the floor before his whole body started shaking and his legs gave out under him, the gun slipping from his fingers as he stared with glassy eyes at the man he had just killed.

Aomine furiously worked at his bonds, freeing his hands then moving to the rest of the ropes before launching off the chair to get to Kuroko, falling over in his haste and exacerbating the pain in his… everywhere. His leg screamed from the fucking bullet hole that had ripped through the slice in his thigh. “Tetsu. _Tetsu!_ Please look at me, _Tetsuya,”_ he begged, falling before Kuroko and trying to block his view of the dead body. He could taste his tears mingling with the metal taste of blood.

Kuroko was still staring in the direction of the body. Aomine’s voice sounded distant in his ears. His mind was replaying what had just happened over and over again. He didn’t even know he was speaking until he heard himself repeating the words “I just killed someone,” over and over again.

“No. _No,_ Tetsu. You just saved me.” When Kuroko didn’t stop, Aomine grabbed his head forcing Kuroko to look at him, and chanted his own mantra to drown out Kuroko’s. “You saved me. You saved me, Tetsu. You saved me. You _saved_ me.” He pressed his forehead against Kuroko’s.

Aomine’s presence finally seemed to register with him, and he wrapped his arms around Aomine, burying his face in Aomine’s chest as sobs left him, the shaking in his body increasing as he tried to forget what had just happened to no avail.

“You saved me,” Aomine whispered over and over, stroking Kuroko’s hair and clutching him like a lifeline.

“W-we have to leave. People will start showing up,” he managed to choke out. He shakily pulled out his cellphone to make the call.

Aomine gently pulled the phone out of his hand and pressed a kiss to Kuroko’s hair. “I’ll do it.” He tightened his hold on Kuroko and dialed with his other hand.

“Phantom-san? Is everything alright?” Akashi’s voice came through the line.

“Haizaki’s building. Come get us,” Aomine interrupted. “Now.”

“Understood.” Akashi wasted no time hanging up to get moving.

Aomine thought he responded with a thank you, but wasn’t sure with the buzzing in his head. “Akashi is… he’s coming.” Aomine could feel the effects of the blood loss—he felt weightless and pressed another quick kiss to Kuroko’s head before passing out.

Kuroko panicked. “Daiki?! Daiki, wake up!” He tried to shake Aomine. “Fuck, no, no, you can’t die! You can’t die too! I just killed someone to save you, don’t you dare die on me!” He wasn’t sure how he managed to keep himself from taking the knife out of Aomine’s arm. He wasn’t sure why he knew that would make things worse—that Aomine would bleed more. But he knew it and so he didn’t do it as he tried to get Aomine to wake up, desperate cries of Aomine’s name leaving his throat feeling hoarse before Akashi got there.

Akashi had not expected things to be so bad when he arrived. He found both Aomine and Kuroko sitting in a pool of blood with Aomine passed out in a half-hysterical Kuroko’s arms. He noticed Haizaki’s unmoving body a few feet away from where they were sitting and momentarily dismissed it. He needed to work fast to get them both out. Aomine would be easy to handle—he could pass as a dead body until they got him to the hospital. Kuroko, on the other hand, would be more of a challenge. “Tetsuya, we need to leave. Now. Daiki is still alive, but we need to get him to the hospital and the both of you out of here.” He pressed two fingers to Aomine’s neck for extra assurance.

Kuroko made himself look up at Akashi. “How are we getting out?” he asked, trying and failing to keep his voice from shaking.

“First of all, you need to calm down or Daiki _will_ die.” He stared at Kuroko expectantly.

Kuroko nodded, forcing himself to take deep breaths, and wiped the tears off his face. They were replaced by new ones, but he had made himself stop shaking at least. He wouldn’t let Aomine die because of him.

“Secondly, I’m going to put the both of you in body bags and carry you out. Afterwards, we can head to the hospital.” He brought over two large bags that he had left just outside the room.

Kuroko nodded again. He didn’t trust his voice at the moment. He opened one up and got inside, laying down. His hands were still shaking a little, but he’d managed to get the rest of him to stay still.

Akashi zipped up Kuroko’s bag leaving a hole just big enough for him to breathe through. He then moved to Aomine’s body and motioned for one of the men he had brought with him to help him put Aomine’s body into the bag. Once they were done he had his two other men help carry the two out.

* * *

 

Aomine was in surgery. Kuroko sat next to Akashi in the waiting room. “Akashi-kun, have you ever killed anyone?” Kuroko asked after a bit of silence.

Akashi had been expecting this question sooner or later. With a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes he answered, “Of course I have. It’s in my job description.”

“How do you deal with it? Because I just killed someone, and I’m not okay with it even though I know he was a terrible person and he would have killed Daiki if I hadn’t.”

“The first time I killed...” Akashi paused, he didn’t really like telling this story. “It was the most traumatizing experience of my life.” Akashi paused in thought, staring at the ceiling as if he was expecting for the words to appear across it. “You will never be… _okay_ with it. But you will learn to live with it. You will always remember the face, the action, the event. But it will be like any other memory. With time it will fade. The edges will soften, as will the pain.” Akashi turned to Kuroko and gestured to the operating room. “And Daiki will help. You will live with it. You won't be okay with it and you might not accept it, but you won’t continuously relive it for the rest of your life. You will learn to move on.”

Kuroko looked towards the operating room. “Will he be okay?” Kuroko asked uncertainly. “Kagami-kun took a bullet to the chest and lived, but all the doctors said that he was very lucky to be able to do that. What if Daiki isn’t lucky like Kagami-kun was?”

“From what I noticed, Daiki doesn’t have any fatal wounds. He most likely just passed out from blood loss. He will be fine.” Akashi placed a hand on Kuroko’s shoulder in the hopes of offering a bit more comfort.

Kuroko nodded. “Thank you for coming for us. I know it’s not easy for you to get away from your job,” he said quietly.

“There are times when my work can be neglected. Now would be one of those times. I’m here for the both of you when you need me.”

Kuroko managed a small smile for Akashi. “Thank you.” Kuroko wasn’t usually one for physical contact, but it had been a rather stressful day, and he found himself hugging Akashi.

Akashi rubbed Kuroko’s back. He really didn’t like seeing Kuroko like this. “Anytime.” Akashi sat with him for the next few hours while Aomine was in surgery, consoling him as much as he could. When the doctor came out, Akashi stopped Kuroko from pressuring the doctor and spoke to him instead. Aomine had managed to avoid injury in all major ligaments and tendons but wouldn’t be able to move normally for a few months. Aomine apparently just had the devil’s luck. At least Kuroko would be able to stop worrying now.

Kuroko refused to leave the hospital while he waited for Aomine to wake up. At one point someone from the police department brought him some clothes, they stayed for a while for Aomine, and Akashi texted him twice a day to remind him to eat.

He stayed awake as much as he could. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Haizaki’s dead body, or Aomine’s bleeding one. He drifted off a few times, but never for long enough to dream. A few nurses commented on the dark circles forming under his eyes, telling him that he needed to go home and rest, or offering to bring him a blanket, but he refused.

It was about a week before Aomine woke up. They’d had him in a medically induced coma. And when he finally came to, Kuroko was right by his side. “Daiki, are you okay?” he asked immediately.

Aomine was still a bit drowsy from the effects of the drugs so he smiled up at Kuroko. “You said my name. I like that.”

Kuroko smiled back at him. “I’ve been saying your name plenty for days now. It’s not that new," he replied.

Aomine still had that sleepy smile on his face. “Mm, you have, huh? I like waking up to it then.”

Kuroko ran his fingers through Aomine’s hair. “I’ll keep calling you that when you wake up then. At least, when I wake up before you, that is. You seem to like waking me up in the morning,” he said, leaning down and pecking Aomine on the lips before pulling back to smile at him again.

Aomine pouted when Kuroko leaned back, trying to reach out an arm to bring their lips back together but ended up frowning at the pain instead. He turned his head to look at Kuroko. “That’s because you’re so beautiful when you sleep.”

“Then actually let me sleep,” Kuroko replied, making sure the teasing was clear so that Aomine wouldn’t think he was mad at him. “Are you feeling okay? Do you need more medicine?” he asked.

“You’re beautiful when your forehead scrunches up like that too.” Aomine didn’t seem to register the question. “You’re beautiful all the time. I love you, you know?” He yawned. A week of sleep only made you sleepier, apparently.

“You should go back to sleep,” Kuroko said, continuing to run his fingers through Aomine’s hair. “You seem tired.”

Aomine scrunched up his face in an attempt to will the sleep out of it. “I want to talk to you.” He fought off another yawn.

“You can talk to me when you’re more awake. I’ll still be here. I promise.” He moved his fingers from Aomine’s hair to link hands with Aomine.

“Goodnight kiss?” Aomine asked hopefully.

Kuroko smiled indulgently and placed another light kiss to Aomine’s lips.

“Cheater,” Aomine grumbled. “A _real_ kiss.”

Kuroko laughed and leaned down for a proper kiss, which was interrupted by one of the nurses clearing their throats, before they started checking on Aomine. Kuroko moved back to the chair that had been his home for the past week.

* * *

 

Aomine scrunched his brow concernedly at Kuroko who jolted awake at Aomine’s grunt of pain. He hadn’t meant to wake Tetsu up, but he’d only just woken up as well and his arm didn’t seem to appreciate his attempt at a morning stretch.

“Daiki, how are you feeling?” Kuroko asked, moving to the side of the bed.

Aomine ignored the question. “Sorry, Tetsu, go back to bed.”

Kuroko shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m not that tired,” he lied, before smiling at Aomine. “You seem less drugged up than last time though.”

Aomine frowned. “That’s the worst lie you’ve ever told, Tetsu. Go back to sleep. You look exhausted. _I’m_ fine, but you don’t seem to be.”

“Only you would lay in a hospital bed with bullet and stab wounds and be worried about someone else,” Kuroko said, rolling his eyes.

“You’re not going back to sleep are you?” Aomine noticed the deflection.

“Nope,” Kuroko replied. “Do you want anything to eat or drink?” he asked, trying to change the topic again.

“You know what? I think I need more sleep actually.” Aomine wiggled in bed so he shifted enough to clear space next to him. “But I don’t think I can do that without someone sleeping with me.” He shot Kuroko a pointed look.

Kuroko frowned at him. He knew what Aomine was trying to do. And after a little over a week of hardly sleeping at all, it would probably work too. He also couldn’t argue it, because he wanted Aomine to get better, and rest was important for that. There was probably some kind of rule against it, but he got into the uncomfortable hospital bed, just barely managing to not tip it over, and laid down next to him.

Aomine smiled, nuzzling Kuroko’s shoulder. “Thank you. I’ll promise to eat later if you also eat with me.”

“I promise. Akashi-kun keeps texting me reminders to do that, actually. He’s been by a few times to make sure you’re okay,” Kuroko told him. Akashi had also disapproved of Kuroko’s lack of sleep, but couldn’t stay long enough to properly lecture him about it like Kuroko was pretty sure he’d wanted to.

“Oi, don’t talk about Akashi when I’m trying to be romantic here,” Aomine complained, but added, “...It’s good that someone was taking care of you though.” Aomine kissed Kuroko’s shoulder before speaking again. “I’m sorry I made you worry.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Kuroko said. “I’m sorry I took so long to be able to do anything to help.”

Aomine jerked up at that, trying to sit up, but falling back onto the bed in pain. He grimaced but said to Kuroko, “ _No._ You don’t get to blame yourself or I swear to god I will stay up all night and refuse to eat. I said ‘I’m sorry I made you worry.’ and you’re supposed to accept that with an ‘It’s ok, Daiki. Just don’t do it again.’ like an annoying mother.” He glared at Kuroko. “Now: _‘I’m sorry I made you worry.’”_

Kuroko blinked a few times, startled by the reaction. “I—okay. It’s okay, Daiki. Just don’t do it again," he said, not sounding super convinced. Mostly because he was still surprised by how fast Aomine had moved despite being injured.  

Aomine heard the lack of conviction but accepted it anyway. He was in too much pain for a serious argument. “Good, now can we cuddle? Because I’d actually really like that nap now.”

Kuroko forced a small smile and nodded. “Yeah, we can do that. If I get yelled at by hospital staff though, I’m blaming you,” he warned, moving closer to Aomine, and carefully wrapping his arms around him.

Aomine shrugged with his good shoulder. He could live with that. “Worth it.”


	17. Scared to Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We should warn that this chapter contains a description of a panic attack, so you probably want to avoid that if you might be triggered. We will mark where it starts and where it ends with a double line break so that you can skip that, all you really need to know if you plan to skip is that Aomine is in the kitchen when it starts, and comes back into the room but can't really help so Kuroko passes out.

Kuroko didn’t get a real night’s sleep until they got home. He tried to convince Aomine otherwise, closing his eyes whenever Aomine looked like he was waking up, but he doubted it was working. Despite not sleeping much in the hospital bed, he still managed to get bed head just as outrageous as it was after properly sleeping. Kuroko's hair really was something special when it came to getting messed up it seemed.

When he finally did get a full night’s sleep, it was horrifying. The scenes kept changing from one bad thing to another. He was shooting Haizaki. Haizaki was shooting Aomine. Aomine was being stabbed. He missed and shot Aomine. Haizaki turned into Aomine at the last second. But people kept on dying, and it was always his fault. Kuroko woke up in the morning, screaming and shaking, tears streaking his face as he frantically looked around for Aomine, clinging onto him when he saw the other man next to him.

“Wha—Tetsu? Tetsu, what’s wrong? Tetsu!” Aomine was confused and concerned, searching for a threat or an injury or whatever it was after being abruptly woken up and jolting up in bed. “Tetsu, I’m here!” he clutched Kuroko’s shoulders, the smaller man clinging to his chest.

Kuroko couldn’t respond for a few minutes. Every time he tried to get words out, another sob left him instead.

“Tetsu?” Aomine had lowered the volume of his voice now that he’d ascertained there was nothing in the room and fully woken up. “Shhhh, I’m here, Tetsu. Calm down first, ok? You don’t have to talk.” He rubbed Kuroko’s back soothingly, pressing kisses to his hair and whispering small reassurances, noting that Kuroko was soaked in sweat.

“I love you. Please don’t die,” Kuroko begged quietly when he was able to get words out, keeping his face hidden against Aomine’s chest.

“Tetsu?” Aomine didn’t know what to do. “Tetsu, I love you too. I promise I won’t die. Please look at me? Tetsu, I’m here. I’m right here, Tetsuya.”

Kuroko didn’t look at him like he asked, just continued to cry and cling onto Aomine. He’d thought something like this would happen if he went to sleep, but he hadn’t thought he would react this badly. “I’m sorry.”

Aomine gently raised Kuroko’s chin, forcing him to look at him. “Hey, I’m here, right? I’m okay. So you don’t need to say sorry.”

Some of the hysteria seemed to be leaving Kuroko. “I’m still sorry. I’m sorry you got hurt, and I’m sorry that I woke you up, and I’m sorry that I just cried on you.”

Aomine frowned. “Because I’m hurt, I get to have Tetsu baby me.” He pressed a kiss to Kuroko’s forehead. “I woke up and got to hear you say you loved me.” He moved to press more kisses to each cheek. “Tetsu cried on me because he trusts me.” He paused, a breath away from Kuroko’s lips. “  _I’m_ not sorry. I love you, Tetsuya.”

“I’ve told you I love you before,” Kuroko told him with a frown. “And it’s still my faul—”

Aomine interrupted with a deep kiss, placing one hand behind Kuroko’s neck and tilting his head for better access. When they broke apart, they were each panting for breath. “Well, I only heard you this time. And I will not let you ruin the night you first said ‘I love you’ with self-blame and pity parties. I want to kiss you.” And he did.

They fell asleep, Kuroko wrapped in Aomine’s safe embrace to ward away the demons for the few hours left before morning.

* * *

 

It happened every night after that too, and Aomine was there for him each time. Until the one time he wasn’t.

* * *

 

_Kuroko pointed a shaking gun at Haizaki. Aomine was bleeding. There was blood everywhere. Haizaki stabbed him again, in the stomach this time._

_Aomine’s pained screams were hurting his ears. He wanted to clutch his head between his hands, but he had to keep the gun aimed at Haizaki. He didn’t know why—he couldn’t shoot it correctly—but he had to keep it there._

_“Tetsu! Help!”_

_Kuroko wanted to. He desperately needed to save Aomine. But he couldn’t move. He was shaking and his ears were filled with Aomine’s screams and Haizaki’s laughter._

_Suddenly, without his permission, his finger moved on the trigger. He saw the bullet leave the gun in slow motion, heading for Haizaki. But at the last second, the scene changed._

_He was in his bedroom. Aomine was standing in front of him, making him aim the gun at his chest. The safety was on. And then it wasn’t, and he hadn’t changed it, and Aomine wouldn’t let him move the gun. His hands were shaking. His finger touched the trigger and a bullet went through Aomine._

_And then Haizaki dropped to the floor with a hole in his head. His dead eyes stared up at Kuroko accusingly._

_“You killed him. You just killed someone,” Aomine told him, disgust in his voice._

_“I had to!” Kuroko insisted._

_“If you hadn’t stolen from him, we wouldn’t be in this mess—if you had just listened to me.”_

_He turned around, pointing the gun at Aomine. “No! It’s not my fault!” He insisted._

_“Point it at me, Tetsuya. If you don’t point that gun at me now, you’ll do it with the safety off.” Aomine was telling him coldly._

_Kuroko pulled the trigger._

* * *

* * *

 

“Dai—Daiki?! DAIKI!” Kuroko clutched at his chest, feeling his heart thumping rapidly, feeling his throat constrict with every breath. He couldn’t slow his breathing and the panic only increased with that realization. He had to calm down. He couldn’t breathe. _Why couldn’t he breathe?!_ His breathing kept speeding up. _I need to calm down._ But it wouldn’t work. He would have screamed more except he couldn’t get enough air to force the words out. The thud of his heart started pounding around his ears and he forced both hands to press on his chest, trying to ground himself within reality. But it was going too fast wasn’t it? Was that bad? Shouldn’t it be slower? He could feel the air pressing in on him and he was freaking out more and more. It was like he was drowning, yet his body was on fire. That was why his chest burned, wasn't it? He was drowning in flames?

Aomine opened the door and Kuroko dimly recognized the sound for what it was.

 _I need to breathe. I can’t breathe. Oh god, oh god!_ Kuroko screamed inside his head. Then something touched him and he actually did scream. He looked up and saw something reaching out for him but his head was moving as fast as his breathing and he whipped it back and forth, shaking it furiously trying to tell whatever it was to go away, _go away_ , but it wouldn’t leave. It was still too close. Kuroko was crying, his body shuddering and shaking even more with that addition but he couldn’t quite feel the heat that was consuming him before. He barely registered something touching him briefly amid all the frantic movement. His head whipped around as panicked as before but everything felt fuzzy and he didn’t know why. He heard his name through the fog but couldn’t speak. Something touched him once more and he tried to bat it away, but his limbs were too heavy. He could only feel his tears. _My god, I’m dying._ He finally registered Aomine’s face before everything crashed down around him and he fell into darkness.

* * *

 

Aomine grimaced at the pain in his leg. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d managed to make it to the kitchen, considering how hard he was panting and how heavily he leaned against the countertop. He’d woken up with a pounding headache and decided to search for some pain meds or alcohol—opting for the alcohol so he might be awake in case Tetsu needed him. Tetsu had been needing him a lot lately.

He was just mulling over that last point when he heard Tetsu screaming his name. He swore and stumbled off of the counter, limping back to his room as fast as he could but half falling in the hall in his haste. He had to catch his breath and lean against the wall for a bit, taking deep breaths until the pain faded to its normal dull ache.

More slowly this time, he closed the rest of the distance to his bedroom and found Kuroko shaking and hyperventilating in the bed.

“Tetsu! Tetsu, I’m here!” he called as he hobbled as quickly as possible to the bed, hesitating at the edge. He’d seen panic attacks before, but everyone was different. If Kuroko needed to pull himself out of it, then touching him would only make it worse. He watched as Kuroko flailed on the bed, clutching his chest, the cloth straining in the death grip he had on it. Aomine mentally battled with himself. If Tetsu needed something to ground him, Aomine had to act fast—before Kuroko hyperventilated to the point where he’d start losing consciousness.

“Tetsu, you’re safe. You’re in bed, at home. It’s night time and no one else is in the room.” Aomine tried to speak over Kuroko’s gasps and whimpers.

“Tetsu!” He reached out for Kuroko, hoping touch might allow him to keep in touch with reality.

The panic only seemed to intensify and Aomine quickly drew back, watching helplessly.

He only reached out a second time when Kuroko almost fell off the bed. His hands grazed Kuroko’s skin before the man managed to move back toward the center of the bed on his own.

" _TETSU._ It's Daiki! You're home!" he choked out, desperate to reach him through the panic.

“Tetsu…” Aomine whispered into the dark of the room, watching the man he loved blinded by panic and on the verge of losing consciousness. He sat on the bed, watching Kuroko even as he slowly grew limp, his eyes seeming to clear for just a moment before closing and Kuroko’s breathing finally evened out.

“I’m so sorry. I love you, Tetsuya.” Aomine stroked the sweat-soaked hair and cried his own silent tears.

* * *

* * *

 

It was starting to enter afternoon by the time Kuroko woke up. His throat hurt from yelling, and he wanted water, but more importantly, he needed to see Aomine alive. “Daiki?” he whispered, slowly opening his eyes and looking around.

Aomine’s head shot up at the sound of his voice—he’d been struggling not to fall asleep. “Yeah. Yeah, Tetsu, I’m here.”

Kuroko quickly wrapped his arms around Aomine, holding on tightly. “I love you,” he told him.

Aomine wrapped his own arms around Kuroko in return, rubbing one hand up and down his back soothingly. “I love you too, Tetsuya.”

“Is the sun up?” Kuroko asked, looking around. “How long have I been asleep?”

“It’s afternoon. But I’ve just woken up too,” Aomine smiled, hoping his fatigue didn’t show on his face. He’d hardly slept since finding Kuroko early that morning.

“You’re still bad at lying, Daiki. I don’t know why you keep trying,” Kuroko told him. “I’m sorry if I kept you awake.”

Aomine’s smile faltered. “You know, maybe I’d love you more if you let me lie a little.” He kissed Kuroko lightly. “I kept myself up. No need to apologize.”

“What kind of kindergarten teacher would I be if I just let people lie? That teaches bad morals,” Kuroko replied, tracing the circles under Aomine’s eyes with his thumb. “You should sleep.”

“I wanted to eat breakfast with you. Though I suppose it’s more of a late lunch now,” Aomine protested, taking Kuroko’s hand in his gently. “I’ll sleep tonight. I promise.”

Kuroko shook his head. “Sleep now. I’ll go buy us some food and bring it back, and I’ll wake you up. That way you can at least get a nap, and it’ll probably be closer to dinner time by the time I get back.”

Aomine’s hand squeezed Kuroko’s involuntarily as panic sliced through him before he mentally reminded himself that the threat was gone. But he still didn’t want to be separated from Tetsu. “Can I sleep in the car? I really don’t want to leave you.” When it looked like Kuroko might protest, he added, “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep with you so far away either.”

Kuroko nodded reluctantly. He’d been planning to walk, but that wasn’t going to happen if Aomine was coming along. “Is Murasakibara-kun’s cafe okay with you?” he asked.

Aomine nodded and yawned. “That’s perfectly fine. Thanks for bringing me along. I love you.”

Kuroko did leave Aomine in the car, because he didn’t want him doing any more physical activity than necessary, which included walking into a cafe, and went in himself. “Two of whatever sandwiches are the best today, two vanilla milkshakes, and a water bottle please," he said to the cashier. Both of those milkshakes were for him. Aomine could have a water.

“Ah? Kuro-chin~~” Murasakibara stopped coming around the counter when he got a better look of the phantom’s face. “Kuro-chin looks like crap.”

“Thank you, Murasakibara-kun. That is how I like to be greeted by my friends,” Kuroko replied flatly.

“Eh. Ok. Kuro-chin looks great,” Murasakibara lied, shooting a thumbs up in the smaller man’s direction.

Kuroko let out a light laugh. “I haven’t been sleeping very well the last few weeks. That’s probably why I’m not looking so good,” he explained.

Murasakibara came around the counter fully and led Kuroko to a table. “The idiot did something else? Kuro-chin should move out already.”

“No, this time, it was my fault,” Kuroko told him with a slight shake of his head as he sat down. “The idiot is actually out in the car catching up on some sleep right now. He refused to stay home.”

Murasakibara frowned. “You shouldn’t bully idiots. Mido-chin says stupid people create their own problems.”

“I’m _not_ bullying him!” Kuroko protested. “I’ve just been having trouble sleeping, and it’s kind of affecting his sleep as well.”

“Mido-chin has things to make you sleepy. Go bug him.”

Kuroko laughed. “That’s illegal, Murasakibara-kun. I can’t just bug him for drugs. I’ll be fine,” he reassured as the food was brought to him. “Well, I’d better go. I don’t want Aomine-kun to wake up and start wondering where I am.”  He probably could get an actual prescription from Midorima that was perfectly legal, but he was worried that if he took sleep medication it would just mean that he would be in the nightmare longer since he wouldn’t wake up.

Murasakibara waved a goodbye but watched Kuroko to the door, inwardly concerned. The man was practically dead on his feet. Maybe he really did need Mido-chin.

Kuroko got into the car and drove them back to their apartment, sipping on one of his milkshakes on the way there, and gently shook Aomine awake when he’d parked.

“Hn?” Aomine looked up at Kuroko through sleep-filled eyes. “What happened? Where are we?”

“We’re at home. Come on, let’s go in and then we can eat,” Kuroko explained, giving Aomine a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Mmmmm.” Still half asleep, Aomine reached out and caught the material of Kuroko’s shirt gently pulling. “Carry me, Tetsu~~”

“That is not happening.” Kuroko told him. “I will fall and then we will both be hurt.”

Aomine rubbed at his eyes, finally waking up. “Alright.” He unbuckled and exited the car, but leaned against the doorway, not moving. “I used up all my energy already, Tetsu. I think I need another good morning kiss to wake me up.” Inside, he cursed his screaming ribs and other limbs. Walking was way too damn tiring. He needed more sleep.

Kuroko rolled his eyes and leaned over to peck Aomine on the lips. “You didn’t have to come. I told you I would just bring food back.”

Aomine's smile sagged a little. “Is it wrong to want to be near you? I thought maybe you’d like having me with you.”

“No, that’s not wrong. But it is wrong to wear yourself out when you are injured and have the option to stay home and sleep.”

Aomine frowned and pulled Kuroko closer to him, just holding him to him and enjoying the feel of Kuroko in his arms. “I’d love to stay home and sleep if you would stay with me. You need rest too.” He pressed a kiss to Kuroko’s forehead.

“If I did that, we wouldn’t have gotten food.” Kuroko said. “But we can hang out together inside while we eat.”

Aomine laughed. “You know, that was some swoon-worthy stuff right there. Couldn’t you think I was at least a little romantic? My poor ego,” Aomine mocked, cradling his injured heart.

“Your ego is big enough without me inflating it,” Kuroko replied flatly.

That only increased Aomine’s laughter. “You’re lucky you’re perfect. Most men would run with their tail between their legs. You’re a hard man to love.” He wrapped an arm around Kuroko’s shoulder, both pushing him forward and subtly shifting his weight so he could use Kuroko as support a bit. Every few steps, he’d press a kiss to Kuroko’s hair or cheek or ear or neck as an excuse to rest a bit, whispering “I love you”s just to see the faint blush on the pale man’s face.

When they reached their couch, Kuroko pressed a kiss to Aomine’s lips and whispered an “I love you” back to him, before taking a long sip from his second vanilla milkshake and passing the water bottle and one of the sandwiches to Aomine.

They fell asleep like that—curled in each other’s arms—a half eaten sandwich on a plate on the floor, and Aomine clutching Kuroko to him, trying to shield him from the nightmares for just one night.


	18. Epilogue: Moving On

Aomine finally broached the subject after Kuroko passed out for the third time. There were still nightmares every night and crying and shaking, but full-on panic attacks were the final straw. Both men saw that the problem wasn’t going to fix itself. At least, not any time soon.

Aomine waited until he was recovered enough to be at least semi-useful before bringing up a heist to try and cheer Kuroko up. “Hey, Tetsu, you wanna go on a job today?” he offered, leaning against the kitchen counter to talk to Kuroko who was making something to eat.

Kuroko tensed for a moment before forcing a smile. “I don’t think so. I’m kind of tired. I think I’ll just stay in today,” he replied.

Aomine noticed the tension and came to wrap his arms around Kuroko, trapping him in place against the counter, and settling his head on his shoulder for good measure. “Hey, what’s up? You know, I’m not as bad at seeing lies as you seem to think I am at telling them.”

“I just... I don’t know if I want to keep doing this,” Kuroko mumbled, looking down at the floor.

Aomine froze. He slowly lifted his head and removed his arms to give Kuroko some space. _Oh God, oh God. I scared him off,_ Aomine thought in horror.

Kuroko frowned when Aomine moved away from him. “What are you doing? You don’t have to look so worried. Shouldn’t the cop be happy that I want to stop stealing?”

Aomine froze once more, processing that. “Oh. Oh, oh my God, oh God.” Aomine sunk to the floor, holding his head in his hands, his chest heaving in relief. “Oh thank god.” He could have cried. “Tetsu, I was so worried you didn’t love me anymore or something. God. Don’t scare me like that. Tetsu…”

Kuroko looked on in both confusion and worry as Aomine lowered himself to the floor before explaining himself to Kuroko. And then Kuroko was right by his side, wrapping his arms around him and placing light kisses all over Aomine’s face. “God no. No, of course I still love you. That’s not what I meant at all. I just don’t know if I want to keep stealing. I absolutely want to still be with you," he said between kisses.

Aomine just held Kuroko to him, steadying his heart. “I love you, Tetsu. I love you so much. Don’t scare me like that.”

“I love you too. I’m sorry. I love you, Daiki,” Kuroko murmured back.

“Since we’re in the sharing mood right now, do you maybe wanna talk about why you want to take a break from the thing you loved so much before? I sleep with you, you know. I know something’s wrong. _Really_ wrong.” Aomine considered ending it there, but decided to take his chances and push it further. They really needed to settle this. “You just said you love me. And I love you. So let me help. _Please._ ”

Kuroko hesitated, biting his lower lip as he debated on if he wanted to talk to Aomine about this. He really didn’t want to, but he supposed he should. He hid his face against Aomine’s shoulder before he started speaking. “Stealing is what got you hurt, made me have to kill someone, and the reason I now can’t sleep at night. And I know you keep on saying that it’s not my fault, but none of the stuff with Haizaki would have happened if I hadn’t decided I wanted to steal from the biggest drug lord in Japan, and I don’t want to make that kind of mistake again, because what if you’re the one who dies next time? What if I have to kill someone again?”

Aomine rubbed Kuroko’s back as he mulled over his response. “...Will you be happier without stealing? We don’t have to tackle the nightmares right away. I’ve seen police officers deal with their first kills. Those aren’t easy symptoms. But I just want you to be… more okay?”

“I don’t know how to fix it, but I think, at least right now, stealing would make it worse,” Kuroko mumbled into Aomine’s shirt.

“And you’ll be okay with just your day job?” Aomine was leaning down to rest his forehead on Kuroko’s head, staring down at the head of blue hair tucked into his shoulder.

“I don’t know," he repeated. He’d mostly been just trying to not think about it. “Would the police even let me go back to my day job? I signed a contract with them.”

“Well, that was mostly because you were a criminal. And as much as I hate to admit it, the chief actually likes you. Thanks for making my life hell at work, by the way. But anyway, I think he’d trust you enough to let you go back to teaching. You did take out the leader of one of possibly the biggest criminal organizations in the country. That counts for something—even for criminals.”

Kuroko wasn’t sure that it actually would count for something, but he nodded anyway, which was more like nuzzling Aomine’s shoulder considering the position he was in.

Aomine smiled and lifted Kuroko’s head so that they made eye contact. “You know you’re my boyfriend, not my pet right? Er—” Aomine recalled the scare he’d just gotten. “—Um, that is, if you want to be my boyfriend of course. No pressure. I just, uh, assumed, after, uh…” Aomine continued stuttering until Kuroko stopped him.

Kuroko let out a small laugh. “I thought we clarified this before when I asked if we were in a relationship. Yes, I’m your boyfriend,” Kuroko told him. “And I was trying to nod, don’t make it weird by comparing me to a pet.”

Aomine grinned. “But you finally looked at me.”

“Because you made me,” Kuroko accused, gesturing to the hand that had lifted his head up.

“Well,” Aomine murmured, moving closer to Kuroko, “we can’t do this if we aren’t facing each other.” He closed the gap for a kiss.

* * *

 

“Perhaps just teaching isn’t the best job for you. You did get bored with that before, and that’s what led you to breaking the law in the first place. However, I can think of another job for you that doesn’t involve stealing,” Imayoshi said to Kuroko.

“What do you mean?” Kuroko asked with a slight frown.

“Companies contract people to test their internet security via hacking. You get a contract that asks you to hack the client’s systems and send in a report when you’re done, outlining what needs to be improved. With the police backing your skills, you’ll be able to pull in some big contracts that should prove a challenge. And all without breaking the law. Imagine that. You can hack into things for shits and giggles _legally.”_ Imayoshi’s smile was equal parts condescending, pissed, and amused. It made for a terrifying combination.

Kuroko looked between Aomine, who shrugged, apparently as surprised as Kuroko was at the offer, and the police chief uncertainly. “Would I be doing that and teaching? That doesn’t sound like a full time job," he finally asked.

“That is why I said _just_ teaching. After all, you’ve proven that you can be both an extremely annoying thief and a decent teacher in the past. I’m sure hacking a few security systems should be no different.” Imayoshi’s tone of voice was ice cold. “I suppose the challenge now is to prove that you will be able to survive _not_ running all over town.” He spared a glance at Aomine who was wisely remaining silent in the corner. “Though I suppose my dear detective might be enough to keep your hands full on the side.” Imayoshi flashed one of his signature grins.

Aomine would have protested if that grin hadn’t held his tongue.

Kuroko considered the idea. It would keep him entertained, and he wouldn’t be pissing off anyone who could potentially hurt Aomine. He finally nodded agreement. “Okay. I can do that," he decided. “Would you like me to start with your station? It’s not as hard to hack as a police station should be.”

“Actually, I’d like to start with rethinking this offer. There are several flaws with this plan that I’d just _love_ for you to keep pointing out. Go on. Do continue, Mr. Phantom.” Imayoshi leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands together, waiting.

“Not a flaw with the plan. Just your system. I was suggesting that you be my first contract. I’ve already hacked your—”

“He gratefully accepts the offer, Chief. And of course, he means all due respect to this department and is merely making a formal request as to whether you would like to submit a contract of your own to… test out his skills. And also see what kind of reports he would submit. He’s willing to do a test run with the department.” Aomine plastered on the biggest, phoniest grin he could muster, trying desperately to save his boyfriend. And people thought _Aomine_ dug holes too deep to climb out of.

Kuroko frowned at Aomine, but didn’t argue the matter. Seeing as he had hacked the police twice now, he could probably already give them a report, but he supposed they would want a step by step, so he’d probably have to do it again.

As if he sensed the condescension radiating off of Kuroko, Imayoshi kept his gaze on the now former thief, _waiting_ for a reason to rescind his offer. When he received no such provocation, he smiled. “Glad to see we have a deal. Let’s get this in writing, shall we? And Officer Aomine, I expect you to keep a close eye on our dear Phantom.”

Aomine straightened up under the weight of Imayoshi’s stare, nodding dutifully with only an “Of course, Chief.”

* * *

 

A few months later found Kuroko on his and Aomine’s couch, passed out, surrounded by lesson plans and reports with his laptop open and half way through hacking into something. They were too used to living together, so they had simply moved into Aomine’s apartment after leaving the one they had been in for the past few months working for the police. The nightmares were happening less often now. Aomine had been there for him through recovery. He was still working on that, but he could at least get a decent night’s sleep most of the time. Like now. That is, until Aomine walked in the door, the sound drawing Kuroko from his sleep.

“Hello, Daiki.” Kuroko mumbled, looking at his boyfriend through half open eyes.

Aomine nudged the door closed with his foot, his hands too full of grocery bags and… a bouquet? Kuroko eyed the bouquet curiously.

“Why are there flowers?" he asked around a yawn as he slowly sat up and stretched.

“Um, Satsuki said maybe I needed to make the apartment not so… ‘gloomy’? I dunno. But people like flowers right? It’s romantic and all that.” Aomine set down some grocery bags and then scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Was it dumb? I figured watering these thing would be another thing you could do? I know you’re still kinda bored even with everything…”

Kuroko smiled at him, moving some things so he could get up. He walked over to Aomine and stood on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Aomine’s cheek. “It was sweet. Although, there’s not much watering to do with flowers that have already been picked and put into a bouquet. That’s usually for ones still attached to their roots and in pots.”  

“Oh, um, I can always buy more for you later. But I guess we have these for now?” Aomine offered the bouquet out to Kuroko, turning his head in an attempt to hide the blush. “I, uh, I also wanted to tell you that it’s not so bad that you can’t steal anymore, considering you did pretty well the first time around.” Aomine grinned stupidly.

“Huh?” Kuroko tilted his head in confusion. He’d just taken the offered flowers when Aomine had started talking again. “Do you mean Akashi Corp?" he asked with a slight frown.

Aomine gave Kuroko a mock pout. “Wow. You know, you stole something _way_ more important, Tetsu!”

“You didn’t say important though. You said first,” Kuroko said, looking even more confused.

“Alright, fine.” Aomine crept closer and hugged Kuroko to him, his hands hooking behind the small of his back, maybe a bit too close to his ass. “So what comes to mind now?”

“Your... shirts?” Kuroko asked uncertainly. He was still stealing Aomine’s shirts every day after all. He wasn’t even sure where any of his own were at this point.

“Oi, now that I think about it, do you ever plan on wearing your own clothes?! You only ever take my comfy shirts,” Aomine complained.

“I do wear my own clothes. These are my pants. I am wearing your boxers though. I wasn’t really paying attention when I got dressed this morning.”

Aomine frowned. “You know what I’m talking about! Couldn’t you at least ask?! No no no, wait. That wasn’t even what I wanted to talk about!”

“Then what did you want to talk about?” Kuroko asked, the confusion coming back.

“Ugh, you know, you totally ruin every romantic moment, bastard.” Aomine playfully nipped at Kuroko’s bottom lip to soften the jab.

“Are we still talking about the flowers then? I told you, I thought it was sweet.”

“You’re making me lose track of the conversation. I was gonna be really cute and everything.”

“You were talking about me stealing something,” Kuroko reminded him helpfully.

“Oh… _Yeah!_ So, I was saying you don’t need to be a thief anymore, Tetsu. Because you’ve already stolen something really important.” Aomine nuzzled his face into Tetsu’s neck and tightened his embrace.

“Care to enlighten me on what that something is?” Kuroko asked.

“Mmm.” Aomine pulled back to look Kuroko in the eye again and grinned. “My heart, dumbass.” He leaned down for a proper kiss this time, still smiling. “I love you, Kuroko Tetsuya,” he whispered into Tetsu’s mouth when they broke apart, just enough to catch their breath.

“How long have you been waiting to use that line?” Kuroko asked him, amusement tinging his voice.

“Since I fell in love with you, stupid. Now don’t ruin the moment.” And he leaned in for another kiss.


End file.
